007 Rogue Agent
by Zulon
Summary: Daniel Craig Era. When the mutilated body of Dr. No washes onto the Jamaican shore, M dispatches 007 to hunt down the ex-double-o responsible and uncovers a conspiracy that forces him to team-up with the very rogue agent he was hunting.
1. Chapter 1

_The 21st century moves too fast and its threats are too big for most to even acknowledge._

_-Steve Rogers; Captain America._

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: The Exchange<p>

Location: Burgenland, Austria

10:33pm (local time)...

* * *

><p>The cargo hold of the Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter jostled about as the massive aircraft soared high above the Austrian countryside as James Bond prepared to parachute into the Landing Zone. It had been a month since the GoldenEye Incident, where Alec Trevelyan's bitter betrayal of both queen and country had been expose. It was had been a bitter pill to swallow, but the bastard was dead and that's all that mattered to him.<p>

"Prepare for drop in six minutes," the pilot reported via the intercom.

Bond stood up and checked his parachute for the second time and slipped on a full face helmet before approaching the loading ramp. The nature of the mission in question wasn't clear to him, which meant that the mission was urgent enough to require him to go in blind. At least when he landed he would receive a full mission briefing. The door to the loading ramp descended and the cargo hold was filled with the frigid alpine air as Bond raced forward, his boots pounding against the metal floor as he leapt out of the plane. Free falling was an adrenaline rush as he caught a glimpse of the twinkling lights of the town of Forchtenstein, but his destination lay in the shadow of Esterházy Castle. James pulled the ripcord and the chute deployed, slowing his decent until he was close enough to the ground to ditch the parachute and land in a snow bank. Watching as his chute drifted away in the breeze Bond immediately pulled he helmet off and tossed it aside, before tapping the screen of his smart phone that was strapped to his left arm. It took several seconds for the device and waited for it to connected to the MI6's servers before speaking.

"Bond to MI6, I've arrived at the insertion point."

"Acknowledged," Tanner replied as M came on the line.

"Listen up, Bond. Three days ago six prototype T-38 Halbech ballistic missiles were stolen from the Americans while en route to a military reserve in the mid-western United States. Intelligence indicates that the missiles were sold during a Black Market Auction in Gibraltar and were bought for an untold sum of money by this man."

Bond glanced at the phone as the image of a bald headed man with a full grey beard and somewhere between the age of forty to sixty appeared on the screen dressed in a dark suit.

"This is Arkady Yayakov; a Serbian-born Terrorist whose been linked with various rebel groups operating in Chechnya," M explained.

"What's his story?" Bond asked.

"His INTERPOL file stats that he's the mastermind of numerous bombings within the Russian Federation," Tanner stated, "Most recently he was responsible for the derailment of the Nevsky Express in November 2009."

"The missiles will be changing hands at Esterházy Castle tonight, which is hosting a charity dinner for the World Refugee Fund," M continued.

"Coincidence?" Bond asked.

"I don't believe in coincidences," M replied, "Yayakov is using the event as a cover and those party guests don't even know it."

"What is the potential fallout for this?" Bond questioned.

"If Yayakov uses those weapons against the Russians they will undoubtedly place the blame at the feet of the US Government, which is why the CIA has dispatched one of their agents to assist in this operation."

The image of a strawberry blonde haired woman appeared and James was instantly intrigued by her beauty.

"This is Zoë Nightshade, your friend Felix Leiter suggested her for this operation. She's logged numerous hours engaging in domestic counter-terrorism operations. This'll be her first overseas mission," M stated, "you are to infiltrate the castle and meet up with Miss Nightshade in the library."

"I'm guessing that it won't be as easy as simply walking through the front door," Bond said sarcastically.

"Agent Nightshade has reported that Yayakov's men are disguised as members of the event's security detail, you are to enter the castle through a side entrance and make your way inside," M said as a map appeared on his phone.

"What about the missiles? Is this mission about securing or destroying?" James questioned.

"Langley has given permission to dispose of the missiles," Tanner chimed in, "Q Lab has fitted your wristwatch with a high power explosive that when detonated should cause a chain reaction that will destroy the other missiles."

"Understood, Bond out."

Double-0 Seven climbed to his feet and slid his Walther P99 out of his hip-holster and screwed on the silencer before immediately beginning his long trek towards the looming castle in the distance.

* * *

><p>Location: Esterházy Castle<p>

Twenty minutes later...

* * *

><p>Bond really wished there had been a better way to infiltrate Esterházy Castle, but he had had no choice in the matter since being getting dropped in a nearby gorge was the closest they could get him to the castle without drawing unwanted attention. The path to the castle was a treacherous climb to the top and often times he had had near fatal slips that would have sent him plummeting to the ice and rocks below. James kept his body pressed as flat as he could against the castle's cold brick wall as he slowly inched his way along the exterior before reaching a window and peered inside. Patrolling the interior was a man armed with a Deutsche M9K Assault Rifle with a silencer. Yayakov definitely was playing around, not when he potentially hadmillions of dollars on the line. Bond waited for the guard to pass by the window before slipping past and continued the rest of the way mostly unhindered. Bond reached an area of the castle that had crumbled over time and slipped inside and immediately removed his smart phone, placing it on a pile of bricks along with his P99 as he unzipped his combat attire and discarded it to the ground. He stood in the chilly air dressed in a dark suit and adjusted his tie and placed his pistol into the pocket of his coat and activate his phone.<p>

"Bond to MI6, I've reached the entry point," he reported.

"We'll need photos of the exchange as it goes down," Tanner said.

"Acknowledged."

Bond approached a nearby door and switched his phone to an MRI function and began scanning in order to insure that there wasn't anyone waiting for him on the other side before hacking the electronic lock and slipping inside. Double-0 Seven took a quick glance at the castle blueprints that was displayed on the screen of his smart phone before slipping it into his jacket pocket and weaved through the crowd of partygoers, making mental notes of the armed security guards that were busy patrolling about and made sure not to draw attention. James slipped into a side room and strolled down the emerging hallway until he reached the door to the castle library and stepped inside. The walls of the room were lined with a number of dusty book while in the center of the room stood a woman with strawberry blonde haired that was done up in a bun and wearing a shimmering red cocktail dress with red gloves that reached all the way to her elbows, red high-heels, and a gold choker around her neck. She whirled around and regarded him for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Agent Nightshade?" he asked.

"I'm guessing you're Double-0 Seven," she said, mildly amused, "otherwise you wouldn't have just addressed me like that."

"Have you managed to locate the missiles?" Bond questioned.

"No, but Yayakov's already arrived, he'll be meeting with the seller in the conference room in-" she said looking at her watch, "-six minutes."

"MI6 wants surveillance photos of the exchange," James said.

"Agreed. We're still in the dark about who stole the missiles in the first place. Hopefully the seller will be at the exchange," Zoë stated, "and maybe we can learn where the missiles are being kept."

"We can't allow these civilians to get caught in a firefight with Yayakov's men."

"I can give you a distraction," Zoë said, "buy you enough time to formulate a plan."

"I think I have an idea," Bond said.

"Use the door behind me to reach the conference room," Agent Nightshade said as she strolled past him, "There's a staircase that'll take you to the balcony that overlooks it. I'll give you a head start before giving you your distraction."

Bond nodded as he watched as Agent Nightshade exited the room before heading through the door that she had indicated. A single guard was milling about in a large hall with a single staircase that Bond found himself standing in and quickly ducked into a shadowy alcove to avoid detection. He waited and watched as one the guard moved towards his position allowing him to reach out and seize the man, pulling him into the shadows and rendering him incapacitated before he moved towards the staircase. There were two sentries standing guard at the door at the top of the staircase, forcing Bond to crouch down and slowly creep his way up each step as he removed his P99 from is jacket pocket and put a single bullet into the head of each sentry before they had a chance to notice him. Double-0 Seven stood up and climbed the rest of the way, opened the door as he dragged the bodies inside so as to not cause a ruckus and hid them behind the door before removing his smartphone and crept towards the banister. Bond immediately recognized Yayakov and snapped a photo as he stood in front of a large wooden table pair of armed guards were standing on either side of him, each holding a leather briefcase. One of the doors below opened and he watched as a dark haired man dressed in the fatigues of the US Army strolled in with two guards of his own. Double-0 Seven immediately photographed the newcomer as he took his place at the opposite end of the table.

"General Blake," Yayakov said, "how nice of you grace us personally with your presence."

"I'd much rather oversee an exchange of this nature, Mr. Yayakov," the general said, "do you have the money?"

Yayakov nodded to his guards who immediately stepped forward and placed the briefcases on the table and opened them, revealing an obscene amount of money inside as Bond quickly snapped a pic.

"One hundred fifty million US dollars, all in small bills, untraceable," Yayakov said, "you have the merchandise?"

"We've stored them in the castle's wine cellar," General Blake replied, "now if you'd be so kind as to hand over the money we can both be on our way."

Yayakov slammed his hand on the table and snarled in the General's direction as his men aimed their weapons at him.

"You don't think I know what you're doing?" Yayakov roared, "I want to see the merchandise or no money."

The General was about to speak when the door was thrown open and he heard the voice of Agent Nightshade as she was led into the conference room at gunpoint by a guard.

"Get your hands off me!" Zoë shouted.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" Yayakov demanded.

"We found her in the hallway, sir," the guard reported.

"I was looking for the powder room," she said.

"With lock picks and a nine millimetre?"

"Hey, it's a rough neighbourhood."

"Take her to the cable car station," General Blake ordered, "I'll personally see to her once I prove to Mr. Yayakov that I'm not trying to rip him off."

"What kind of party is this?" Zoë demanded as she was led away from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Alpine Escape

Location: Esterházy Castle

Evening...

* * *

><p>Bond immediately bolted towards a window that was located at the far end of the balcony and pushed it open as he stepped out onto the rooftop that overlooked the cable car station.<p>

"Tanner, I need the fastest route to the castle wine cellar," Bond said as he grabbed a hold of a metal wire and zipped down to the rooftop of the cable car station and dropped through the skylight.

He could hear gunshots and immediately rushed down a small flight of stairs, kicking the door open as he scanned the area and found several guards lying dead on the ground.

"Zoë?" he asked causing the young woman to pop up from behind cover in one of the cable cars, a Beretta 92 clutched between her hands.

"Aw...were you worried about me?" Zoë teased.

"My mistake. Clearly Felix was right to suggest you for this mission," Double-0 Seven said.

"I'm not just another pretty face," she said with a smirk on her face before getting serious, "found where the missiles are being kept?"

"Wine cellar," Bond replied, "Can you cover our escape route?"

"Sure thing, hurry back otherwise I might have to leave without you."

"Tanner, I need that shortcut," Bond said.

"It should be coming up on your smartphone any minute now," Tanner replied as a highlighted route appeared on the castle blueprints.

"Be right back," he said as he took off.

"You'd better," came Zoë's reply.

Bond was soon out of earshot as he re-entered the cable car station, but exited through an opposite door led him to a small area that led him to a door. Upon entering he located the nearest fire sprinkler and fired a shot into the air that set the entire system off. That would help cause all the civilians to vacate the premise and get them safely out of harm's way. There was no longer any need for stealth as Bond unscrewed the silencer from his gun and followed the route on his smartphone. A guard appeared to one of the staircase and Bond fired a slug into his chest sending him tumbling down the stair as another two guards emerged from one of the doors, but Double-0 Seven immediately put them down as he charged through the door they had come through, snatching up one of their weapons along the way. The massive hall he found himself had several guards who immediately open fired on him as he threw himself behind a wall for cover. He cocked the Deutsche in his hands and fired a burst into the closet guard, downing him instantly as he turned his attention to the remaining one. Once they lay dead he raced to the door on the far side of the room and slammed through it, finding himself in one of the castle courtyards. A guard appeared and Bond blasted him with a burst from the Deutsche and continued forward, not wasting any time as he followed the highlighted route. Bond reached a small walled section and found a truck with the missiles secured on the flatbed with numerous guards that weren't Yayakov's men, but members of a Private Military Company. One of them immediately spotted him and fired on him with an MP5K submachine gun, while alerting his companions. A firefight broke out and Bond was forced to throw himself behind a low wall and blindly fire on his attackers in an effort to thin out their numbers. The Deutsche he had stolen had little ammunition remaining to begin with and by pulling that stunt he had burning through the clip. He tossed the weapon aside and once again pulled out his P99 and began firing away until every last one of the mercs lay dead at his feet. Bond quickly rushed over to the flatbed and detached the timepiece from his wristband and configured the detonator signal to his phone, before attaching it to one of the missiles and setting a twelve second fuse. He turned around ready to trigger the countdown when he came face to face with Yayakov, Blake, and their respective men.

"Drop it," Yayakov ordered, "and put your hands in the air."

Bond triggered the countdown and let his smartphone fall from his hands and into the snow as one of the soldiers approached in order to search him for weapons.

"He might be working with that woman," Blake ordered, "Search the missiles in cause he's sabotaged them."

The soldier who was busy frisking him pulled his pistol from his and showed it to the others as another soldier rushed past to investigate the missiles.

"Who are you?" Blake demanded, "CIA? CSIS? Mossad? Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki?"

"I'm not sure what you talking about?" Bond said.

"MI6," Yayakov spat.

Bond glanced over his shoulder and noticed thatthe soldier sent to check on the missiles had discovered the explosive and was holding it up in the air for all to see as it suddenly detonated, the force of six ballistic missiles detonating at the same time threw everyone to the ground. Bond was the first to recover and immediately snatched up his phone and weapon and took off running, Yayakov firing wildly as he leapt to his feet as the 00 Agent disappeared into another of the castle's courtyards. His soaking wet suit in conjunction with the cold night air was causing Bond to shiver uncontrollably as he ran towards the castle. Yayakov and Blake's men had recovered from the blast and thesound of semi-automatic gunfire filled the air as he ducked through a door and found himself standing in the foyer of the castle. He didn't have time to catch his breath as he continued through the hallway and rounded a corner when several bullets embedded themselves in the wall. He resisted the urge to turn around and return fire and instead continued running until he burst out through another door and rushed down to the cable car station.

"GO! GO!" Bond yelled to Zoë as he flung himself through the door.

The CIA operative quickly started up the cable car, which was packed with numerous crates as Bond stepped aboard. The rickety contraption was swaying so wildly that it caused Bond a great deal of concern as it slowly made its way along with cable when the lights suddenly went out and the cable car stopped moving. Bond could hear the whirl of helicopter blades and stared out into the darkness as a Soviet Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunship flew past with Yayakov at the controls.

"This isn't good," Bond said, "he's pissed and we're trapped here."

"Maybe not," Zoë said as she rummaged around inside the crates.

Bond watched as the gunship reappeared and Yayakov immediately targeted them with the twin-barrelled Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 cannon and opened fire on them.

"GET DOWN!" Bond yelled as he grabbed Zoë by the wrist and pulled her to the floor, bullets slicing through the thin metal of the car and shattering glass as the gunship flew past.

They were fortunate that neither of them had been hit by the bullets, but it was only a matter of time before their luck ran out. Zoë quickly climbed back to her feet and continued rummaging around in one of the crates until she produced what Bond recognized as an AT-420 Sentinel Guided Missile Launcher and tossed it to him.

"Maybe we can shoot him down," she said.

"Grab me a shell," he said, "before he comes around for another attack."

Zoë slid the shell to him as he loaded it into the empty Missile Launcher and took careful aim out one of the broken windows as Yayakov flew past. Bond squeezed the trigger and the missile leapt forward, slamming into the side of the gunship as smoke and flames erupted from it. The damage the aircraft had sustained caused it to spin out of control as Bond and Zoë climbed onto the roof of the damaged cable car. The gunship dropped out of the sky and there was a loud, deafening explosion as the helicopter crashed into the snow below.

"Let's get out of here," Bond suggested as he attached a Zip line trolley to the cable, "Hang on to me, Zoë!"

"I never thought you'd ask," Agent Nightshade said as she wrapped her arms and legs around his body.

They slid along the cable for several seconds before he lost his grip and the two were sent plummeting to the snow below. They had fortunately made it far enough that the fall was non-lethal, but had resulted in Bond landing on top of Agent Nightshade.

"Nice landing, James. Do you always land on top?"

James tried to come up with a witty reply when to gunshots rang out causing the two to quickly get to their feet and raced off into the night.

* * *

><p>Location: Austrian Countryside<p>

Six minutes later...

* * *

><p>Double-0 Seven kicked in the door of what appeared to be a garage and swung his P99, scanning the room for any enemies before lowering his weapon. There were several snowmobiles scattered about in the motor pool, but only one caught his eye. It appeared to be a heavily modified one with a roll-cage and several weapons wielded on to its frame.<p>

"That one's an nasty bit of business, isn't it? Perfect," James said he moved to the wall and attached an explosive, while Zoë climbed into the driver's seat.

Thirty seconds was cutting it close, but they didn't have a choice, any longer and they risked someone discovering it and disarming it.

"You drive, I'll shoot," Bond said as he climbed into the gunner position, "Hurry Zoë, we haven't much time."

One of the doors to the garage rolled open and a gunman appeared, raising his weapon only to be cut down by a blast from the mounted JL-7. Another thug ran into their path, but didn't make it very far before he too was cut down, his body toppling forward.

"We got to get going, Zoë," Bond warned.

"Almost got it, you worry about the guards."

Two more popped up from behind a black Mercedes-Benz sitting in the parking lot and Bond switched the JL-7 to its grenade launcher mode and lobbed one in their direction. The car exploding following the impact of the grenade and the two guards who were using it as cover were thrown out onto the snow-covered pavement. The combat snowmobile was peppered by gunfire from two goons standing in a side door and Bond quickly turned the weapon on them.

"I got it!" Zoë shouted over the gunfire as the vehicle rumbled to life, "We're outta here."

Zoë shifted the snowmobile into reverse and backed out the door before shifting into first gear, and swerved around 180° as the motor pool vanished in a brilliant explosion. Shrapnel flew in all directions as Zoë crashed the vehicle through a guardrail and tore off down the road, but they were already being pursued.

"Into the forest, we'll lose them in the trees," Bond suggested as Zoë complied.

It didn't take long for them to be assailed by one of their pursuers on a snowmobile and Bond quickly responded by blasting away with the JL-7, striking the driver in the chest and sending him toppling over. They were far from safe as they were ambushed by several more goons up ahead and Bond blasted away. He must've hit a volatile fuel barrel because the resulting explosion ripped apart the shack that they had set up their ambush. They flew past the burning wreckage and straight into another ambush that had been set up around a ranger tower. James lobbed a grenade in their direction, purposely aiming for the large propane tank that provided heat and electricity for the tower. The explosion caused the tower to collapse down around them as they shot past, emerging from the forest and cutting off a semi-truck. A van was heading towards them, with one of the passengers firing at them, forcing them to veer out of the way and head back into the woods. They both heard the crash but didn't witness it as they left little time for the van to avoid a head-on crash. They were soon under siege by more pursuers that Bond easily dispatched with the JL-7 as they passed through the arch of a bridge and emerged from the other side. They continued to race through the forest and steered out onto a road with a large wooden gate at the far end.

"James, they're closing the gate," Zoë stated.

Bond immediately lobbed another grenade that exploded against the door, dislodging it and preventing it from closing as they drove through. They were almost home free when another Soviet Mil Mi-24 helicopter appeared in the sky and fired a rocket that took out the bridge.

"Hang on tight, we're in for a bumpy ride," Zoë said as she drove the vehicle once again into the forest.

The gunship was now in pursuit, rockets impacting the snow as they drove through the back door of the kitchen of a Château.

"Sorry. We forgot to make a reservation," Bond commented as they passed through the dining hall.

Zoë drove the combat snow mobile through a set of windows that led out onto a patio and crashed through the railing, landing on the road outside as they headed back into the forest.

"Whew. Looks like we shock them off," Zoë said prematurely as the helicopter reappeared over the Château.

"It's not over yet, back into the woods," Bond ordered.

Two snowmobiles pulled up behind them and Bond unloaded the JL-7 as the Mil Mi-24 pounded the ground with missiles. Bond dispatched the two pursuers but the heli was another matter as they rode over a snow drift, launching into the air as they landed inside of a mountainous cave. They were free of the pursuing copter, but only momentarily as it dropped down out in front of the cavern exit and opened fire on them. Zoë made a risky decision and shifted the vehicle into its top speed and launched themselves out of the mouth of the cave and into the belly of the helicopter. The gunman that had been standing and firing on them was forced to leapt to his doom lest he be crushed by the five hundred pound machine. The aircraft was destabilized by the sudden extra weight as the snowmobile launched out through the other side. The rotors sliced against the rock as it went into a deadly spin and exploded, while James and Zoe escaped the deadly rain of shrapnel before skidding to a stop.

"Looks like we're on foot from here..." James commented

"Where exactly is here, James?" Zoë asked.

"Not far from my rendezvous point," he replied as he helped her out of the vehicle.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Enemies Vanquished

Location: Austria Countryside

1:01 am...

* * *

><p>"Bad night to wear a cocktail dress," Zoë commented bitterly as she trudged through the snow.<p>

"We're almost there," Bond said leading the way.

The moon had pierced through the cloudy night granting the two spies adequate light to see, but it was a double edged sword since they were much more visible to those who were potentially pursuing them. They ascended a hill and soon found a log cabin that was mere footsteps away. Bond reached the door first and found the key hidden on the underside of the porch railing and slid it inside the lock. With pistol in hand Double-0 Seven nudged the door open and glanced quickly around inside in order to confirm that it hadn't been compromised before stepping inside.

"Come inside before you catch a chill," Bond said, leading her in before closing the door.

"Already have," Zoë commented rubbing her arms, "What's the plan?"

"I'll get the power started and then get on the horn to MI6," he explained as he moved to a nearby control panel.

Tapping a few buttons they heard the hum of machinery as the lights slowly came to life. The living room was the first thing that they encountered with a dining area and kitchen that were located off to the right. The bathroom was located on the landing that over looked the living room while the bathroom was directly below it.

"I'll grab a shower and get warmed up," she said.

Bond nodded as he watched her headed into the bathroom before heading into the kitchen. After the events of the night he was in desperate need of a drink and a quick search of the fridge yielded him a bottle of Jim Beam Red Stag Bourbon and poured himself a glass. He downed it almost instantly as the overwhelming taste of black cherries filled his mouth forcing him to pour another before heading upstairs. There was a King-size bed situated in the middle of the room with a computer terminal that was right up against the railing that overlooked the living room and switched it on. Once it had booted up he entered his personal password and was immediately connected to the MI6 network, waiting several seconds before M's image appeared on the screen.

"Bond, have you reached the rendezvous point?" she asked.

"We're at the safe house," Bond confirmed.

"...and Agent Nightshade?"

"Taking a shower," he replied, "It wasn't the right weather to be walking around outdoors in a dress."

"Good to know that you're both all right," M said.

"Yayakov might be dead," Bond finally said.

"Can you confirm?"

"No. He went down onboard a helicopter, but we weren't in any position to investigate the crash site."

"We'll look into it," M said, "We were able to identify the man in the photo you sent us."

"Who was it?"

"General Cornelius Blake of the United States Marine Corp," M replied.

"That would explain how he was able to steal those missiles," Bond commented.

"But I have bad news though."

"Great way to end the evening," Bond commented dryly as he took a sip of his bourbon, "Lemme guess...you won't be able to reach the extraction point."

"Robinson's reporting poor weather in Switzerland. The closest aircraft we have available is in the northern part of the Czech Republic. You and Miss Nightshade will need to find your own way out."

"...wonderful," Bond said.

"We'll contact you tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll have something for you by then."

"Understood. Bond out," he said terminating the connection.

Bond stood there for a moment and let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair before hearing Zoë call his name.

"James, could you get me a towel? There doesn't seem to be any in here."

"Coming," he replied, heading down stairs.

Finding the towels stashed within the laundry room Bond quickly returned to bathroom where he found Zoë stepping out of the shower.

"Thank you, James."

"My pleasure," he replied handing it to her.

For the first time that night he finally got a true glimpse of her beauty as she went about towelled herself off.

"There's a problem isn't there," Zoë said.

"There's bad weather in Switzerland, we're going to need to find our own way out," James confirmed.

"Oh well, guess that'll give us time to get to know each other better. Right James?" she asked drawing in close.

* * *

><p>Location: MI6 Safe House<p>

Late the next morning...

* * *

><p>James pressed the button on his keychain causing the garage door to roll open revealing a silver Aston Martin V12 Vanquish sitting inside.<p>

"Was this car here the whole night?" Zoë asked pulling on a white tuque.

Gone was the red cocktail dress, instead it had been replaced by a white combat snowsuit that was more appropriate for the mountainous weather.

"Perhaps, but you looked like you needed the rest," he replied.

He had charged his own clothing to a pair of green cargo pants, a black biker jacket, black shirt, and a pair black-and-white sneakers.

"I don't recall getting much rest at all, James..."

They were about to embrace when the sound of roaring snowmobile engines filled the air as they watched two of them suddenly flew over a snow bank. Bond quickly grabbed Zoë by the arm and raced to the Vanquish, climbing inside before starting the engine and taking off down towards the road. With the safe house no longer secure Bond initiated the self-destruct causing the entire building to disappear in a giant fireball.

"Aw...that was a really nice house," Zoë said glancing through the back window.

"Good thing we finished that bottle of Jim Beam last night," he commented.

"Bond, this is Tanner. We've found a privately owned airfield about one thousand miles from your current location," he said over the radio. "we've transmitted the data into the Vanquish's GPS now."

"Understood," Bond replied as he triggered the vehicle's weapon systems.

The two pursing snowmobiles appeared in the hills on either side of the road and Bond immediately dispatched them with a pair of heat-seeking missiles. One of the vehicles disintegrated, while the other remained in one piece, crashed into their path forcing Bond to swerve the Vanquish out of the way and continued down the road, weaving through the traffic.

"Nice driving, James," Zoë said, "Think they're Blake's men?"

"Maybe...he has more then enough reasons."

They sped past a billboard where a speed trap had been set up by the local authorities and found themselves being trailed by a cruiser. 00 Agents may have a licence to kill, but harming law enforcement officials and civilians were strictly prohibited and James immediately triggered a button on the steering wheel and deployed the vehicle's smoke screen. With the officer out of the way Bond steered the Vanquish along the mountain road until they reached the outskirts of a town when two Mercedes-Benzes suddenly sped past and attempted to block their path. Two missiles rectified that situation as they passed through a nameless town, but an ambush was already in place. Two vehicles were situated on an elevated area that overlooked the town square when Bond launched another pair of missiles that destroyed them. Bond kept his foot on the gas and leapt over the incline, landed in the town square below, making a shortcut of a shop window before continuing forward. A pursuing vehicle T-boned them causing the Vanquish to spin wildly out of control forcing Bond initiate a corrective maneuver. Able to correct the vehicle's out of control spin Bond preformed a PIT maneuver in retaliation and sent it careening into a telephone pole. Bond steered the Vanquish out of the town and followed the road until they passed through a tunnel that led out to a bridge that was blocked by the police.

"James!" Zoë cried out.

"Hang on!" he yelled.

Bond pulled the Aston Martin off the road and down a hill that ended in a steep incline that allowed him to launch it over the bridge and onto the other side. The descent was more out of control then he had wanted, but eventually was successful in getting them safely down to the frozen river below. Their pursuers gave up the chase allowing Bond and Zoë to continue along harassment free before stomping on the brakes, bringing the car to a sliding stop in the middle of the frozen lake.

"Well done, James," Zoë said, "But I think the car is wrecked."

"Q will get over it," he replied as he hit the gas a took off along the frozen lake.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Airfield Ambush

Location: Austrian Countryside

Evening...

* * *

><p>After abandoning the Vanquish several miles away Bond and Zoë were forced to trudge the rest of the way on foot through the snow in order to remain undetected.<p>

"Ah, there's our ticket home," Bond said, stopping on a hill that overlooked the airfield.

"Good. I've seen enough of Austria to last a lifetime," Zoë commented.

The two ran forward with Zoë scaling the exterior fence with ease and dropping down on the other side as James followed suit. The two spies kept to the shadows, moving silently from building to building until the control tower was in view.

"Unless we take out the control tower's tracking system we'll have another attack helicopter on us," James stated, "Get to the security office and disable the alarms, I'll handle the tower."

"You'll have to put those spotlights out of commission if I'm going to make it inside," Zoë observed, "James, there must be a generator or gearbox nearby. Maybe you could switch them off for a second."

"Got it. Wait here," Bond said as he took off towards the back of the building.

Double-0 Seven didn't get very far before he noticed a guard patrolling the roof of the building. Pulling out his Walther P99 Bond screwed on the silencer and took careful aim, unloading a single bullet into the man's skull. The guard toppled backward onto the roof allowing Bond to slip past and reach the power generator unnoticed. Upon reaching the generator Bond shot the lock off and gained access to the control panel and went about shutting down the spotlights.

"Good work, James," Zoë said over his earpiece, "That did it, I'm making my way to the Security Office."

"Watch your back," he said.

He watched as Zoë sprinted across the yard as he himself made his way back to the front of the building when a guard stepped outside. Bond immediately reached up over the railing and grabbed the man by the back of the jacket, pulling him over and taking him out with a judo chop to the throat. Dragging his unconscious body into the side of the building Bond immediately sprinted towards the control tower and began hacking the electronic lock with his smart phone. The wait was agonizingly slow as he kept on the lookout for any wondering guards before the door unlocked itself and stepped inside.

"James, be careful. I haven't deactivated the cameras just yet. Keep an eye open," Zoë warned over his earpiece.

Bond slipped into a nearby office and spotted a guard through the window at the far end of the hallway, completely oblivious to his presence. He ignored the guard and exited through an adjacent door and continued his stealthy infiltration of the control tower. Double-0 Seven neared a corner and spotted a security camera affixed to the ceiling in the corner of what appeared to be a waiting area. The camera swivelled to and fro at regular intervals allowing Bond to get the right timing before scrambling across the red sofa until he was directly underneath the camera. He waited for it to swivel its lens in the opposite direction before sprinting up a nearby sit of stairs that took him to an open area with a room that was labelled; Control Tower Administration. He immediately stepped inside and looked to his right and left and spotted a pair of guards who were minding their own business as Bond snuck up on one of them at the far side of the room and put him in a sleeper hold. He struggled against the pressure put on his windpipe, but eventually blacked out from the lack of oxygen. Bond laid the unconscious guard on the floor and immediately turned his attention to the remaining who had remained completely ignorant to what had just befallen his comrade. He was too busy looking over a map laid out on the table to notice Double-0 Seven sneaking up behind him until he was struck in the back of the head by his pistol. In order to gain access to the tower's control room he required a security pass and soon found it lying on the table before returning to the hallway. Heading down a opposite flight of stairs and encountered another security camera that forced him to duck back up the stairs to avoid being spotted. He waited for the camera to swivel away allowing him to bolt underneath and waited for it to turn back towards the stairs before rushing to the security door and swiped the security card into the keypad. Several beeps emanated from the door before it flew open and allowed him entry as he quickly slipped inside. He was inside the main tower with a winding staircase that would led him all the way to the control room and immediately began his ascent. Bond was careful not to make too much noise as he climbed flight after flight of stairs before encountering a guard who was making his way up to the control room. He grabbed the man by the back of his collar and drove his face into the railing and tossed his body over the side, a dull thud could be heard as his body impacted with the floor below, but not loud enough to draw unwanted attention. He continued his climb and soon reached a door that led out onto the tower's catwalk when he heard Zoë's voice coming from his earpiece.

"Just a minute, James...Done. Cameras are offline, you're good to go."

He moved forward and could hear several people talking as he ascended a final set of stairs and spotted three armed technicians. Bond fired at the closest man, striking him in the chest and immediately drew the attention of the two remaining guards in the room who opened fire upon spotting him. He quickly ducked back into the staircase to avoid the gunfire from the Kowloon Type 80 Machine Pistols that they wielded before returning fire. He hit one man in the shoulder, causing him to drop his weapon and followed up by putting a bullet between his eyes. Bond broke cover as the guard's body toppled over, surprising the remaining guard and fired three rounds at him. The first round missed by a mile and shattered the window behind him as the bullet smash through it. The two remaining rounds slammed into his chest and sent him crashing to the floor in an unmoving heap. With the immediate threats now out of the way he went about sabotaging the radar and communication systems by smashing up the monitors. An alarm pierced the night causing Bond to rush over to one of the windows as he watched as Zoë hurled herself through the window of the Security Office and took off running as a pair of security guards appeared and fired at her.

"James, I've been spotted," Zoë said, stating the obvious, "I'll need to make a run for it, cover me."

He located a sniper rifle resting nearby and quickly snatched it up and carefully took aim at the guard that was chasing Zoë and squeezed off a round. The man head snapped back as the bullet struck him in the head and was thrown backwards as Zoë took refuge in a fenced off area that surrounded by shipping containers. More guards began pouring out of the adjacent buildings and with Nightshade pinned down amongst the shipping containers Bond struggled to take them all out before Zoë was killed. One by one the guards fell from a single well placed shot until only a few remained allowing Zoë to bolt out from behind cover.

"Okay James I'm making a run for it, cover me!" she said via the earpiece.

He watched as Zoë ran from the fenced off section of the yard and vanished from his line of sight as he continued taking out the guards as they appeared. Bond quickly exited the control tower and reached the door that led out onto the tower's catwalk and resumed his protection of Agent Nightshade by taking out two more guards.

"Alright, I'm clear," Zoë reported.

Bond returned to the interior of the control tower and quickly made his way down to the ground floor where he immediately found himself under fire as he quickly ducked behind the wall next to the door. He could feel the bullets buried themselves into the wall as James fired blindly with the Storm M32 that he had taken from the body of one of the guards before stepping out into the doorway. He cut down the closest guard and fired a blast at the other two guards standing in one of the offices as he made his way through the building. He moved methodically from room to room, ensuring that he wasn't ambushed until he made his way outside. With most of the guards dead thanks to his sniping skills he ran to the far side of the yard and entered a small building that led into a warehouse that would take him to the aircraft hangar. There was no one guarding the warehouse, which ultimately made things easier for him as he weaved his way through stacks of wooden creates and reached a door before Zoë's voice entered his ear.

"James, head to the primary hanger. I'm making a break for it," Zoë reported.

"Check that Hanger, Zoë. We need to find a way out of here," James said as he kicked the door open.

There were guards waiting for him on the other and they immediately fired upon him the second he kicked the door open, forcing him to duck back inside. He blasted at the guards with the Storm M32 before discarding it and pulling out his Walther P99 and dove out of the room, quickly taking cover behind a wooden crate. He was immediately peppered by gunfire as he leaned out and fired a shot at one of the men, catching him in the ankle and sending him crashing to the ground. The man screamed in agony over his shattered ankle before being silenced by a bullet to the head as Double-0 Seven popped out from behind cover and fired, striking the other guard in the shoulder. The man dropped his gun given Bond a chance to break cover and rushed forward, driving his elbow into his face and lying him out on the snow covered ground. He took off running through the stacks of shipping containers, sticking to the shadows in order to avoid an unnecessary firefight as he made his way towards the hanger. Slipping inside the building he immediately discovered the body of a guard sprawled on the floor before him, forcing him to step over it as he opened the door directly ahead of him. Zoë was already waiting for him on the other side along with a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, which was in the process of being fuelled up when he stepped through the door.

"Plane is fuelled," Zoë reported.

"Alright. Let's get it out onto the runway," Bond said.

Zoë nodded and quickly disconnected the fuel hose and tossed James an SG5 Commando Assault Rifle that she had appropriated before climbing onboard and slipping into the pilots seat. As flipping the ignition switch Bond waited several seconds before opening the door and climbing into the passenger seat, but kept the door open knowing that their getaway was about to be that easy. Zoë eased forward on the throttle and the plane slowly moved forward along the tarmac when a guard on a motorcycle pulled up next to them. He aimed a pistol in their direction, but it was Bond who fire first, sending the man flying from his bike.

"Keep going, Zoë," Bond shouted.

Switching the assault rifle to his left hand, Double-0 Seven wrapped the seatbelt around his right arm and leaned out of the plane, squeezing off a burst of rounds that struck another of their pursuers in the chest and sent him tumbling away. As Bond kept himself busy with fighting off their attackers Zoë glanced over and saw another of their pursuers suddenly pull up next to her window and aimed at her with a pistol. She immediately responded by kicking the pilot's side door open, striking the motorcycle and sending both it and it's driver careening out of control. Zoë snatched the door handle and pulled it closed, looking back up in time to see that they were quickly running out of tarmac.

"James, we're running out of runway," Zoë warned as he pulled himself back into the cockpit, discarding the rifle as he did.

Nightshade pulled up on the controls causing the aircraft to lift off of the tarmac and sale over the fence of the airfield and into the safety of the night sky.

"Where to?" she asked.

"Take us to the Swiss border," James replied.


	5. Intro

When Nobody Love You - Kerli

Silence is golden.  
>You will see.<br>You will see.

Your diamond shield is broken.  
>You are free.<br>You are free.

Burn it down to the ground.  
>Be discreet, create no sound.<br>Elements all around.  
>I need to rise again.<p>

If no one can hurt you,  
>Then nobody loves you.<br>If no one can break you,  
>Then nobody loves you.<br>If no one can change you,  
>And no one can save you,<br>If nobody loves you,  
>Then I do.<p>

Honey cuts like razor blades.  
>Sets you free.<br>Sets you free.

The only constant.  
>Things are chained.<br>You will see.  
>You will see.<p>

Burn it down to the ground.  
>Be discreet, create no sound.<br>Elements all around.  
>I need to rise again.<p>

If no one can hurt you,  
>Then nobody loves you.<br>If no one can break you,  
>Then nobody loves you.<br>If no one can change you,  
>And no one can save you,<br>If nobody loves you,  
>Then I do.<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lady in Red

Location: Monaco

Two months later...

* * *

><p>The bright red Ferrari 355 roared down the winding hills of Monaco and towards the glamorous Principality. The city was a stunning sight to behold, one that had left a lasting impression on him since his first mission to the region. It was when he was investigating Stefan Pomerov; a Russian Industrialist who had purchased stolen bio-chemical research meant for the British Army. With the help of Nicole Hunter; the MI6 contact in the city he was able to sneak into Pomerov's casino and found evidence that he was trying to use the research to create biological weapons. He didn't know it at the time but Nicole had been the one responsible for kidnapping Malcolm Tedworth and the entire event that followed, all because she wanted to impress a rich and powerful man. They had no idea as to the identity of the man who Nicole had been trying to impress by have him eliminate Pomerov and she had been forever silenced after being gunned down by an unmanned drone. He was certain that something would eventually come up to break the case wide open, all they needed was time. Upon entering the city Bond steered his rental car in the direction of the Port Palace Hotel where Adriano the Valet was waiting for him.<p>

"Good evening, Monsieur Bond," he said, "Did you enjoy your automobile ride?"

"Yes, thank you Adriano," he replied, slipping the friendly man some Euros, "I shouldn't be long, just going to get showed and changed before I head out to the casino."

"Ah oui, Monsieur Bond," he said as he took the car keys from him.

Bond stepped inside the hotel lobby and headed for the elevator, riding the lift all the way to the thirty-ninth floor where his suite was located. It was a well furnished suite, expensive too, but that was true of almost everything in Monaco. He stepped out onto the balcony and removed a pack of H. Simmons of Burlington Arcade cigarettes from his pocket and lit up as he took in the view. It was a stunningly beautiful skyline and his eyes immediately focused on the Port of Hercules and the Mediterranean Sea that lay beyond. He finished his cigarette and stepped back inside the suite, glancing at the headline of the morning's issue of the Tomorrow that rested on the table outside the balcony doors.

CRISIS LOOMS IN THE MIDEAST.

"When hasn't there?" Bond thought bitterly to himself.

The double-O agent moved to the closet and removed a dinner suit, placing it on the bed before heading into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

><p>Location: Casino de Monte Calro<p>

Forty minutes later...

* * *

><p>Bond pull his rented Ferrari 355 up to the front of the entrance of the Casino de Monte Calro and was greeted by the sharply dressed valet who had been waiting.<p>

"Good evening, Monsieur. Welcome to the Casino de Monte Calro," he said.

Bond handed the keys and paid the man, receiving a valet ticket for when he left before heading inside the crowded casino.

"Bonjour Monsieur. What can I get for you zis evening?" the bartender asked as Bond made his way up to the bar.

"Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, and half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"

"But of course, Monsieur," the bartender replied clearly amused.

He looked about the room at the numerous gambling tables that were occupied, but his attention was fixated on the one with a large amount of people were gathered around it. There was a young woman with long brunette locks and wearing a shimmering red evening gown as she lit a chesterfield before resuming the game of baccarat that she had been playing.

"Who's the woman?" Bond asked the bartender.

"Madame Rossi," the bartender replied, "She is something, non?"

"Indeed," he said taking his drink.

He made his way to the table and took note of the large amount of poker chips at her end of the table and decided to join in.

"Mind if I join you?" Bond asked.

Miss. Rossi glanced at him, then at the dealer before turning her attention back to him and nodding, allowing join in on the game. He handed the dealer two hundred Euros and received back the appropriate amount of poker chips in return before taking a seat at the table. The young woman was doing quite well for herself, having acquired most of the other gamblers chips, but that would soon change.

"I do hope you'll prove to be more of a challenge, mister..."

"Bond, James Bond," he replied as he received his cards, "and I'm no push over."

The other players at the table weren't keen on risking their remaining chips and thus remained out of the game, leaving himself and Miss. Rossi the only players as she flipped her cards over; an Ace of clubs and seven of hearts.

"Huit," the dealer said.

Bond turned over his own cards over which consisted of a five of clubs and two of diamonds.

"Sept. Madame wins," the dealer announced.

"You were saying, Mr. Bond?" Miss. Rossi questioned as she took a sip of her Mai Tai.

"The night's still young."

A new set of cards were dealt out to each of them and for a moment they gazed at them before she laid down a five of diamonds and Jack of Spades, tapping her finger before dealing another card; the six of clubs.

"Madame stands with cinq," announced the dealer.

Bond flipped over his two cards; the king and queen of hearts.

"Six, Madam loses."

"You were saying, Miss. Rossi?" he asked mockingly as he reached for his glass.

"The night's still young, Mr. Bond."

The game went on for over an hour and in the end he had made off with considerably more money then he had started. Miss. Rossi hadn't done too poorly herself, but in the end she had lost interest and had made her way to the bar before Bond joined her.

"You play quite well, Miss. Rossi."

"Please, call me Larissa," she said.

"A rather interesting name," Bond commented.

"My parents are Greek," she explained.

"I've been to Greece once."

"Really...what is it that you do?"

"I'm in the shipping business. And what of you?" Bond asked.

Larissa crossed his long, elegant legs in an attempt to distract him and took a sip of her drink, this time a Mojito before giving him an answer.

"I work at a law firm in Paris."

"Here on business or pleasure?" Bond asked.

"A little of both," she replied with a smile when there came a ringing from her purse.

Larissa immediately reached inside and removed a small cellular phone and glanced at the screen.

"Seems my dinner date has decided to bail on me," she said with a sigh, "Looks like I'll be eating alone tonight."

"That's terribly inconvenient," Bond said, pouring on the charm, "but why waste a perfectly good evening?"

"Are you asking me to dinner, James?" Larissa asked.

"Maybe..."

"I'm staying at a friend's house in Fontvieille," she explained, "I've been wanting to dine at the Elza Restaurant at the the Monte Carlo Beach, but I've just never gotten the chance yet."

"Then by all means," he said offering Larissa his arm.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Renegade

Location: Monte Carlo Beach

Sometime later...

* * *

><p>Neither Bond nor Larissa felt like having a big dinner and instead simply choice to order two of the entrees off the menu. The Duck Foie Gras Confit, Duck breast Panini, and walnut and beetroot salad that he had ordered was quite lovely and Larissa seemed to be enjoying the Fine Lemongrass Marinade of sea-bass and salmon, green pea emulsion and virgin olive-oil that she had selected. Between bites of their meals they discussed a variety of subjects such as her parents moving the family to England from Greece before she was born and how she studied law in Geneva before getting a job at a Paris-based law firm. He explained to her that he had been born in West Berlin and spent much of his childhood abroad, and that his father was from Glencoe in Scotland and his mother was from the Canton de Vaud in Switzerland. Both of whom had tragically died during a mountain climbing accident in the Aiguilles Rouges when he was eleven.<p>

"Oh James, I'm so sorry," Larissa said.

"Don't be," he said dismissively, "It was years ago."

"So what happened afterwards?" she asked.

"I was sent to live with my Aunt Charmian in Kent until I was old enough to attend Eton College, but was expelled and sent to Fettes."

"Trouble?" she asked.

"Girl trouble," he said taking a sip of his coffee.

"But isn't Eton an all boys school?"

"Trouble with the maid," he added, "While I was at Fettes I also attended the University of Geneva as part of an exchange program."

They continued to talk for quite a bit longer before long they realized how late it was and offered to drive her back home.

* * *

><p>Location: Fontvieille<p>

Several hours later...

* * *

><p>Fontvieille was the newest of the four traditional quarters of Monaco and built almost entirely on artificially reclaimed land in order to combat the chronic land shortage in the extremely densely populated principality. Bond glanced over and noticed Larissa was staring out the passenger-side window at the full moon that was reflecting off the Mediterranean Sea as he steered the vehicle along the coastal road before pulling to a stop in front of an ritzy apartment complex with a several expensive yachts that were tied to the dock out back.<p>

"Would you like to come in for coffee?" she asked.

Bond hesitated for a moment be then nodded as he slipped the keys out of the ignition and opened the door, slipping out into the cool evening air. The moon which was only in its quarter phase hung high overhead, providing more then enough illumination as they walked across the parking lot and into the building. Following a five minute elevator ride Bond was standing outside Larissa's flat as she fished around inside her purse for the keys before finding them and led him inside. The moment Larissa flicked on the light switch Bond immediately realized that the flat wasn't empty as there was a gray haired woman sitting within the living room.

"Hello, Double-O Seven."

"M," Bond said.

"I don't mind you taking a vacation so long as you tell us where you're going," she said.

"Wouldn't be a vacation if I did," he replied, causing Larissa to snort in amusement, "was any of what you told me true?"

"My parents really are from Greece and that they move to England before I was born," she replied, "But you may refer to me as Scarlett Papava."

"When you dropped off of radar we began a search for you. When we learned you where in Monaco I asked Agent Papava to facilitate contact with you," M stated.

"All this for me?" he asked sarcastically.

"We have a situation that is in need of your attention," M stated.

"Will you be requiring me any further, mum?" Scarlett asked.

"No, thank you for your help, Double-O Four," M replied.

She nodded and immediately strolled past Bond, winking at him as she headed out the door. Double-0 Seven took a seat on the couch and noticed movement from another room and glanced over to see a dark skinned man wearing a finely tailored suit enter the living area with a laptop in his hands.

"We're ready, mum," he said.

"Thank you, Robinson," M said as he switched on the television.

The screen immediately displayed the image of a man, definitely of mixed race with dark hair, dark eyes, and wearing an far-eastern suit of grey material.

"This is Doctor Julius No," M explained, "Four days ago his body was discovered washed upon the eastern shore of Jamaica."

The image was immediately replaced with that of a forensic photograph of a mutilated body with both hands missing.

"It took dental records to ID him," M stated, "The CSI's in Kingston say he'd been dead for a while, but can't get an exact time of death for...obvious reasons."

"Good lord," Bond exclaimed.

He had thought the mutilated body of who they had thought was Vesper's boyfriend, Yusef was bad, but the image before him was something else entirely. A different breed of viciousness all together.

"What's his story?" Bond asked.

"Born in Hong Kong to a West German woman working as scrub nurse at a hospital and a Chinese father," Robinson stated.

"He's got degrees in numerous fields, attending the universities in Geneva and Oxford before becoming an American Citizen while attending Yale," M continued, "He got mixed up with the Triads in New York and worked as a treasurer for them for several years before robbing them blind. That didn't go over well with them who hunted him done and shot him in the heart."

"Yet he survived," Bond commented.

"He had Dextrocardia," Robinson explained, "it's when the heart forms on the opposite side of the chest."

"Afterwards when he was released from hospital he vanished, the triads never did get back their money," M said.

"And...how is this at all of interest to us?" Bond asked.

"Because his name turned up several years later while we were investigating Black Market weapons that were making their way into the hands of Rogue States around the world," M replied, "We were able to track his location to Jamaica approximately three years ago and had him under investigation by our local agents. Then they started turning up dead."

"Obviously he knew we were on to him," Double-O Seven commented.

"Which is why I sent Double-O Nine to deal with the situation," M stated.

The image on the screen was replaced with that of a young man between his early to mid thirties, with short, dark brown hair and grey eyes.

"This is Jonathan Hunter; Double-O Nine. Born in Caernarfon, he worked as a sniper for SO13; the Anti-Terrorist Branch of the London Metropolitan Police before we recruited him into MI6, becoming the youngest agent to ever receive Double-O status. We sent Jona to Jamaica to locate Dr. No and terminate him, but he was captured and tortured."

"Did he divulge any information?" Bond asked, noticing that she had referred to Double-O Nine in a rather casual manner.

"No and when he didn't Dr. No responded by shooting him in the eye as a warning to us," M explained, "He was dumped outside of Portmore where he was rescued, but lost the use of his right eye."

"Were no other attempts made to stop Dr. No?"

"No. We backed off after that, but continued keeping tabs on him. Jona however was never the same, he became increasingly reckless and seeing no other alternative I revoke his 00 Status. He disappeared after that and we hadn't seen him since, that was until six weeks ago."

The image was replaced with that of security footage from Norman Manley International Airport, the main airport in Jamaica before freezing on a single individual, Jonathan Hunter though his eyes were obscured by a pair of sunglasses.

"You think our Ex-Double O was responsible?" Bond questioned.

"He shows up in Jamaica and not long after Dr. No winds up dead," M said, "Before I would've said no, but Jona changed, he has a grudge against Dr. No after what he did to him so I wouldn't put it past him. I need you back in London as soon as possible."

"Understood," Bond said.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Hunt Begins

Location: MI6 Headquarters

Two days later...

* * *

><p>Bond into the office and was immediately greeted by Jane Moneypenny, a petite woman with red short red hair who served as M's secretary.<p>

"Hello James," she said with a smile, "Did you bring me anything while you were away?"

"In fact I have," he flirted as he fished out a one thousand dollar poker chip from his pocket.

"Oh James, you really know how to treat a girl," she said.

"Is M in?" he asked.

"Yes. She's been expecting you, go on in," she replied.

He approached the door and knocked once before stepping inside to find M seated at her desk and on the phone before hanging up.

"Good of you to come, Double-O Seven," she said.

"Have you gotten any more leads?" he asked taking a seat.

"In fact we have," she replied, "but I have a development involving your previous operation in Austria."

"Oh?"

"That was Langley just now, they said that General Cornelius Blake was found and arrested yesterday in Jakarta by local police," M explained.

"Did they recover the money?" Bond asked.

"Of the one hundred fifty million US dollars that he had following the sale of those missiles they only recovered approximately a hundred million," M explained.

"And Yayakov? Any sign of him?"

"No. All the investigators found in the wreckage was his severed right arm, if he's alive then his laying low," she replied.

"And in no condition to stir up trouble," Bond commented.

"Anyways Denholm Crisp from the Sino-British Detachment Office has discovered security footage of Jona involved in a rooftop shootout in Hong Kong nearly a year ago," M explained.

"We still have an office in Hong Kong?"

"Technically doesn't exist," she said, "The SBDO's mission is to ensure that the PRC upholds their part of the Sino-British Joint Declaration."

M removed an iPad from her desk drawer and handed it to him, hitting the play button as she did. On the screen was the security camera footage of firefight between Jonathan Hunter and what appeared to be a Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. He watched as the Osprey was blown out of the sky, knocking down an advertisement sign as the Ex-009 crossed over to another rooftop. The video switched to another camera as he battled against some unknown assailants before reaching another building and engaging in a firefight with the gunmen there. The gunfight lasted only a few minutes before a small, oddly shaped helicopter flew up to the side of the building with a rope ladder hanging from it. Hunter leapt from the building and snagged it as it began to fly away, but not before the security image zeroed in on the pilot's face. Facial recognition software easily identified the pilot whose file appeared on the tablet computer forcing Bond to turn it sideways. She was a young woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a pair of violet eyes, but it was her name that struck him the most; Pussy Galore.

"Is-is this her real name?" he asked to M.

"We can't tell if it's an alias or not, but given the fact that we live in a world where parents are naming the children Facebook and Apple I wouldn't really be that surprised," M replied.

"Do we know where we can find her?" Bond asked.

"She was spotted arriving at LAX with Jona weeks ago, but the two went their separate ways. He hopped a flight to Quebec where he transferred to Copenhagen which is where we lost track of him, but as far as we can tell Miss Galore never left California," M explained.

"You want me to track her down and see what she knows?"

"If you don't mind. She's likely to know where he's headed or is," she said standing, "In the meantime we should head to Q Lab and see if the quartermaster has any equipment that you'll be needing."

Bond nodded in agreement and eased out of the chair and followed her out of the office.

"Moneypenny, please hold my calls until I return," M requested.

"Yes ma'am, but don't forget you've got a teleconference with Kerim Bey of Station T in an hour," Moneypenny reminded.

"Ah yes, thank you."

She led Bond through the brightly lit hallways of the MI6 building to an elevator that required a high level of clearance that only M, Bill Tanner, Charles Robinson, the thirteen active Double-O's and the staff members of the Research and Development Laboratory collectively known as Q Lab had. M swiped her ID and placed her finger in the Biometric Scanner to confirm her identity as the door slid open, permitting them entry. It was a short ride down to the research labs and as the door opened they were greeted by a slim man of forty of Indian decent with tanned skin and black hair that framed a handsome face that could get him roles in Bollywood films.

"Ah afternoon," he said.

"Hello Dr. Hirani. Is Q in?" she asked.

"Yes as a matter of fact, please follow me," he said.

He led the two past the numerous development laboratories that we prevalent throughout the laboratory until they reached a motor pool where an older man with salt and pepper hair that was swept to the side, a moustache, and dressed in a clean white lab coat as he stood before a red SUV before turning to greet them.

"Ah good afternoon Ma'am, Double-O Seven," Q said as he handed Bond a clipboard.

"What's this?" he asked.

"The insurance damage waiver for your brand new vehicle," Q replied.

"Q, is this really necessary?" M questioned.

"We're still rebuilding the Vanquish after his last mission. I'm not taking any chances," he replied with a glare in Bond's direction before taking the clipboard back, "Now will you be needing collision coverage?"

"Yes."

"Fire?"

"...Probably."

"Property destruction?"

"Definitely."

"Personal injury?"

"I hope not, but accidents do happen."

"They frequently do with you," he said handing Bond the clipboard for him to sign.

"Any other protection I might need?" Bond asked as he scribbled down his name.

"Only from me if you don't return this vehicle is pristine order," Q commented, "Now let me introduce you to the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, comes equipped with machine guns hidden behind the front headlights and heat-seeking missiles hidden in the sunroof."

"Intresting way to unwind after a long day at the office," Bond commented dryly.

"I don't much care you're juvenile jokes, Double-O Seven," Q stated.

"You'll be taking the 4pm flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles International," M said as she handed Bond an envelope that contained his airline ticket.

"I'll give a call to Felix and see if he can provide me with some local Intel as to the whereabouts of Miss. Galore," Bond said.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Rose

Location: Los Angeles International

Twelve hours later...

* * *

><p>Bond stepped through the arrival gate dressed in a pair of gray trousers with a white t-shirt and an open short-sleeved shirt overtop and switched on his Smart Phone and found a voice mail message waiting for him from Leiter.<p>

"Hey brother, hope you made it to LA alright. I asked a fellow brother of Langley to meet you at the airport. His name's Jake Wade, he's got your ride and the information that you requested. When you do meet him ask to see the rose. Be seein' you."

Bond switched the phone off and headed for the carrousel at the baggage claim to collect his luggage before heading outside. As he stepped through the automatic doors of the airport he was immediately thankful that he had chosen that particular attire as the heat of the afternoon sun was searing. He stopped on the sidewalk outside the terminal and slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses, playing with the lighter in his pocket as he waited. It wasn't long before he was approached by a man in his forties with greying dark hair and dressed in a pair of beige pants and a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt with a cigar held in his fingers.

"'cuse me, can I borrow a match?" he asked in a heavy Texan accent.

"I use a lighter," he replied, producing the object in question.

"Even better."

"Until they go wrong," Bond commented, flipping the lid closed.

"Welcome to the City of Angels," he said, offering his hand, "Jack Wade."

"Leiter's friend," Bond stated shaking the man's hand, surprised by how strong his grip was, "James Bond."

"You stiff ass Brits with yer secret code words n' shit," the Texan said with a chuckle all the while shaking his head, "Felix says you're looking for Intel. C'mon you're ride's this way."

It was only a two minute walk to the parking lot where the Porsche Cayenne Turbo was waiting.

"You're man Q warned me not to touch any of the button," Jack stated.

"Smart move. Knowing Q he probably installed an ejector seat," Double-O Seven replied dryly.

They approached the waiting vehicle which was when Bond struck, seizing Wade by the arm and twisting it behind his back as he slammed his body against the driver side door.

"What the!"

"Show me the rose," Bond ordered.

"What? Oh c'mon did Leiter put you up to this?" he asked.

"The rose," he said again as he twisted the man's arm.

"Alright! Alright! Lemme go and I'll show you," Jack stated.

As Bond released his grip on Wade and the Texan went about unbuckling his pants, pulling them partway down along with his boxer shorts revealing a rose that had been tattooed onto his left butt cheek.

"Muffy?" Bond asked, catching a glimpse of the named that accompanied it.

"The ex-wife," Wade explained as he went about buckling himself up again, "That's what happens when you spend a drunken weekend in Vegas; married with a tattoo on yer ass. We cool?"

"Yeah."

"Leiter likes to 'remind' me. You wanna drive or should I?" he said, forgetting that the incident had even happened.

"You know the roads better then I do," Bond admitted.

"Fair enough."

Bond placed his luggage in the back of the vehicle before taking his place in the passenger seat as Jack fired up the engine and immediately steered the SUV out of the parking lot and down the street.

"You're lucky, I was due to leave for South East Asia in two days," Jack stated.

"Why's that?"

"I'm a handler for the NCS," he replied.

"The National Clandestine Service of the CIA," Bond murmured.

"That's right. Anyways the woman you looking for...Pussy Galore was it? She's currently working as a heli-tour pilot near the city of Napa out in Wine country. She's going by the name Kathrin Glory."

"You'd think if she was trying to lay low she's choose a better name then that," Bond said with a snort.

"Yeah...We're headed to the Los Angeles Marriot, right?" Wade asked.

"That's correct," James replied as he fiddled with his phone.

He pulled up Jonathan Hunter's image and showed it to Wade while they were stopped at a red traffic light.

"You seen this man?" Double-O Seven asked as he showed the Texan the image.

"Yeah...he was involved in a shootout at the Midas Casino in Las Vegas a couple of months back," he replied, "Oh...uh...hang on."

Wade removed his own smart phone and typed something in before flipping through the photos that appeared on the screen and settling on a particular one.

"She was involved," he said handing over the phone.

Bond took the device and studied the displayed image of a woman with short, raven black hair and dressed in black pants and boots and wore a mesh belly shirt that showed off her bra. She was armed with what appeared to be an AR4 Commando assault rifle, as if she wasn't deadly enough unarmed. It wasn't a high quality image since it came directly from a security camera, but there was just enough resolution for him to get an ID.

"We were never able to identify her," Wade explained, "She was leading the attack."

"Her name's Xenia Sergeevna Onatopp; Ex-Russian Military," James replied as he handed the phone back, "She fought as a general during the Invasion of Georgia in '08."

"Know where we can find her? She's a person of interest."

"In the casino shooting?"

"No, the takeover Hoover Dam," Wade stated.

"What! When the hell was this?" Bond demanded.

"The same time as the Casino shootout. The incident wasn't made public so as to prevent a panic," Wade informed, "The bloody bastards were threatening to blow up the whole thing."

"How did that crisis get resolved?" Bond questioned.

"I shouldn't be telling you 'cause it's classified but...it was your 'friend'," Wade replied, "He showed up at the dam and went on a killing spree, then fought your girl too, thou she escaped."

"Obviously," Bond commented, "Last I saw her she was begin dragged down a gorge in Nigeria."

"Well at least she's out of the way then," Wade scoffed as he pulled the Cayenne into the parking lot of Bond's hotel.

"Thanks for the help, Jack," Bond said.

"No problem. Any friend of Leiter is a friend of mine," he replied, handing over the keys, "Be seein' you, Jimbo."

Bond watched as Jack climbed out of the vehicle and waited until he was out of sight before connecting to Q Branch.

"Q Branch, Tanner speaking. Go ahead Bond."

"I've reached Los Angeles, but I need you to reopen Xenia Onatopp's file," Bond requested.

"But she's dead," Tanner said, "You saw to that."

"According to Leiter's friend she was involved in a shootout at the Midas Casino months ago with Jonathan Hunter."

"I'll-I'll get right on it," Tanner said with surprise in his voice.

"She was also involved in a failed terrorist attack on Hoover Dam around the same time. Wade says that the information regarding that incident is classified," Double-O Seven stated flatly.

"I'll inform M. She should be able to convince Langley to share that information with us," Tanner said.

"Good. I'll head out to Napa Valley tomorrow afternoon and see if I can't meet with Miss. Galore."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Property of a Lady

Location: Napa Valley, California

2pm (local time)...

* * *

><p>There wasn't even so much as the faintest breeze in the air as James steered the Cayenne along the winding roadway towards the privately owned airfield that Jack Wade had indicated to him the previous day. The sun was hanging high in the clear afternoon sky as he pulled into the parking lot and climbed out as stepped out. He was dressed in a pair of gray slacks with a short sleeved blue shirt and a black jacket overtop as he glanced around the area. The small building, which he assumed was the airfield's office was located adjacent to a pair of open aircraft hangers. He could see several aircraft within, but his attention was drawn to the helicopter that was sitting on a makeshift helipad that was little more then a circle drawn into the dirt. The copter was bright pink, which was hard to miss and oddly egg-shaped. It was definitely a custom job rather then company manufactured and quite possibly the very aircraft seen in the Hong Kong video. Bond immediately returned his attention to the task at hand and headed towards the office, stepping inside in order to get out of the searing afternoon heat. The interior wad thankfully air conditioned, but dark with only a few rays of light that cut through the Venetian blinds in order to keep the room as cool as possible. It was clear to him that the Global Financial Crisis was even having an effect on the lucrative California Wine Industry as there was only a small, black haired woman within the room. She was seated at a large wooden desk, working away on the computer in front of her and only looked up when he unintentionally slammed the door closed behind him.<p>

"Oh hello. Welcome to Berryessa Air Tours," she said, "are you looking to book?"

"Yes..but it kinda out of the blue and I'm not going to be in California for very long," Bond stated.

"Well you're in luck," she said, "We can have you in the air in about ten minutes."

"Perfect," James said, handing her his credit card so she could process the transaction, "Tell me...is your pilot good?"

"Kathrin's our best pilot...well she's our only pilot on staff," she admitted, "We had to let the others go."

"Sounds like no one's immune to the economic crisis," Bond stated.

"You're right about that," the woman said with a sigh before return his credit card to him, "It's looking more and more likely that we'll be out of business. Feel free to take a seat while I get Kathrin."

Knowing the Pussy Galore would be the one to be giving him the air tour made his mission of facilitating contact all the easier as Bond took a seat on the black leather couch and watched as the woman stood up and headed into a back room. Nearly two minutes later another woman who he instantly recognized as Pussy Galore emerged from the back room dressed in a black leather flight suit with high-heel boots that reached all the way to her knees.

"My name is Kathrin Glory, I'll be you pilot this afternoon, and you are?"

"Bond, James Bond," he replied.

"Come along Mister Bond," she said, "we'll want to get airborne while there's still daylight."

Agreeing Bond stood up and followed Miss Galore back out into the afternoon heat to where the helicopter was waiting for them.

"Does it have a name?" James asked in an attempt to make small talk.

"Name?" she questioned as she turned to regard him with her violet eyes.

"Yeah, you know like when people name their boats."

"Oh...well I never really thought about it," she admitted, "But I suppose that the Pink Sparrow is fitting enough name."

Several minutes later they were airborne and enjoying a ten minute flight over the California Wine Country.

"It's quite a view," Bond said into the headset as he glanced out the window.

"I always liked Napa Valley from the from the air," she replied as she steered the helicopter east, "Too bad I won't be able to do this for much longer."

"Yes your co-worker said that business wasn't doing so well."

"We'll be lucky if we're still in business at the end of the week," she replied

The Pink Sparrow circled around one of the many wineries before heading back towards the Berryessa Air field.

"We're returning?"

"You've reached you ten minute time limit, unless you willing to pay a second time I've got to head back," Kathrin stated.

"'Suppose you're right," Bond admitted.

The helicopter touched down back at the airfield two minutes later allowing Kathrin and Bond to climb out and begin a short walk back to the office.

"You're quite a skilled pilot, Miss. Glory," Bond said, climbing out of the helicopter.

"Please call me Kathrin."

"Really...? You sure you'd rather not be called Pussy Galore instead?" he questioned.

She spun around and regarded him for a moment, her violet eyes full of surprise and suspicion when Bond opened the folds of his jacket and revealed his Walther sitting his shoulder holster.

"Let's not make this any more difficult then it has to be," he said.

A smile came to Pussy's face as she suddenly seized Bond by the arm and swung him around before using a one arm over the shoulder throw on him. Double-O Seven was surprised by her use of Judo on him and was even more surprised that she had succeeded in successfully pinning him to the ground.

"I've made it a priority to protect myself against 'certain' men," she explained as she kept pressure on his arm.

"You obviously know the reason why I'm here," Bond said wincing.

"He did say that she'd send someone once No's body turned up and since you don't look like one of Auric's men I'm gonna say you're the one," she stated as she suddenly released her hold on him.

Bond climbed back to his feet and dusted himself off, rubbing his arm before turning his attention to Miss. Galore.

"Where's Jonathan Hunter?" Bond demanded.

"Heck if I know," she replied, "Haven't seen him since we went our separate ways. Though he did say that when you did show up that I should give this to you."

Pussy reached up behind her neck and unhooked a necklace with a large crystal pendent from around her neck and handed it over to the British Agent. Bond stared at the object and noticed that there was something inside before realizing that the crystal was in fact a hidden USB Flash Drive. Looking back at Pussy he noticed that she was already heading back to the office as he himself returned to the parking lot. Climbing in to the vehicle he pulled the crystal from the metal clasp before removing the car's cigarette lighter and plugged it into the hidden USB port. He immediately pulled his phone free and dialled the number that would put him into contact with MI6.

"Tanner."

"I'm transmitting you some data that Miss. Galore was kind enough to hand over," Bond stated.

"Understood. Stay on the line, she wants to speak with you," Tanner advised.

Several minutes later he head M's voice came over the line.

"Bond. We've got an update for regarding Xenia Onatopp," M said.

"Go ahead."

"Agent Maidenstone was able to discover a bank account sighed out in Miss. Onatopp's name at the Swiss National Bank," she reported, "she received a two million dollar deposit approximately one week before her attack on the Midas Casino."

"Do we know who sent her the money?" James asked.

"We tracked the payment to a dummy company operating out of the Cayman Islands owned by Dr. No," M stated.

"...So Xenia was hired by Dr. No," Bond said, "Miss. Galore mentioned the name Auric during our encounter."

"She must mean Auric Goldfinger, he's the owner of the Midas Casino and Auric Enterprises."

"The second largest gold mining company in the world. So the question now is...what's the connection between Julius No and Auric Goldfinger?"

"That...still has to be revealed. On a related note we've discovered that the terrorists involved in the attack on Hoover Dam were also responsible for the casino attack and were fought by Jona in Hong Kong."

"Have we identified them yet?"

"No. But we have since designated the group; OCTOPUS. Come back as soon as you can."

"Understood."

Pussy watched as Bond started the Cayenne and pulled away from the airfield before removing a small cell phone from her flight suit and dialled a number and held the device to her ear.

"It's me. You were right," she said.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Role of Honour

Location: London, United Kingdom

Nine years ago...

* * *

><p>Colonel Jonathan Hunter fired away with a Desert Eagle at the paper target down at the far end of the firing range, but longed for the feeling of a sniper rifle in his hands. His days as a member of SO13 had come to an end after only three years of service when his superiors had suggested him for transfer to the Secret Intelligence Service known as MI6. He ejected the spent ammo clip from the pistol and laid the weapon down on the counter before turning and seeing Charles Robinson standing on the other side of the glass. He was the man who had formerly recruited him into MI6 and he motioned for the recruit to step inside and he did as was instructed.<p>

"Sir?" he asked, removing his ear protection and sweeping a hand through his hair.

"Sorry to interrupt your firearms training," Robinson said, "but we've got a situation. M has asked to escort you to headquarters."

He had never met M; the shadowy chief of MI6 and truthfully he was more then a little concerned for the sudden meeting since he was still undergoing training and wasn't even through his probationary period.

"Can I inquire as to why?" Jonathan asked suspicious.

"That's classified," he replied, "you'll be briefed as soon as we're there."

"O-okay. Am I dressed alright?" the recruit asked with concern.

Robinson looked him over, taking notice of the dark coloured slacks that were tucked into a pair of black boots, and a dark shirt whose sleeves were cut just past the elbows.

"A little casual, but passable. Just make sure to un-tuck your pant legs and if you have a jacket I would suggest wearing it," he replied.

"I have one in the locker room," Jonathan stated.

"Good. Meet me out front in five."

* * *

><p>Location: MI6 Headquarters<p>

One hour later...

* * *

><p>MI6's Headquarters located at Vauxhall Cross was an intimidating site to behold. A massive ziggurat located on the Thames River, the name Legoland seemed to immediately spring to Jona's mind as the chauffer driven vehicle slowly pulled to a stop outside the main entrance.<p>

"Here we are," Robinson said as he stepped outside the car, "Did you bring your ID?"

"I never go anywhere without it," the agent admitted as he slipped out of the car.

"Good. Follow me and don't embarrass yourself," Robinson warned.

Jona was more then a little annoyed that he was being treated like a child but chose to keep his mouth shut as they headed inside, taking a lift to the administrative level of the building. Jona was led by Robinson through the cavernous and brightly lit hallways before reaching an office and stepped inside. They were greeted by a male secretary working away on a computer and nodded at the pair the moment they had stepped inside.

"She's waiting for you," the secretary said.

"Make sure you show some respect," Robinson warned as he approached the door, knocking once before leading him inside of the office.

The room was finely furnished with lots of dark wood furniture, but it was the gray haired woman who he assumed was M that drew his attention. She was wearing a gray pantsuit as she stood behind a large wooden desk the dominated the room.

"Jonathan Hunter, age 28, born in Caernarfon, Wales to Margaret and Anthony Hunter as the youngest of their six children," the woman said reading a file folder before slipping into her chair, "You have an air of superiority about yourself that many mistaken for arrogance, but that's due to the fact you were a gifted child. But the age of eight you were already attending a prestigious academy for other children such as yourself. What I don't understand is why you chose to join SO13 when you could've done anything you wanted expecially since you're descended from Welsh Nobility."

"I wanted a challenge," he said, "and I wanted to do things on my own rather then get it handed to me on a silver platter."

"Take a seat, Agent Hunter," she suggested as he complied with the request.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"Hardly," M replied as she removed a sealed file from her drawer and placed it on the desk, "We've found ourselves in a potentially dangerous situation. You've only been with the service for seven months, but you're the best sniper we've got, which is why I asked for you."

"What's the situation?"

"I'm unable to go into detail unless you've agreed to the mission, if you believe you're not ready then we'll pretend that this conversation never happened and go about our business."

"Will this mission put my skills as a sniper to use?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes," M answered.

The MI6 recruit contemplated for a moment, staring at the file before reaching across the desk and taking it, braking the wax insignia of the SIS with his index finger and pulling out the photograph of a woman with short raven hair and gray eyes.

"Name?"

"Briony Thorne of 00 Section," M explained.

"00 Section?" Jona questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"MI6's Elite unit of agents," Robinson explained, "There are thirteen agents, each one armed with a Licence to Kill in order to get their missions done."

"It takes years of service to even be considered for the Section and requires two kills to achieve 00 status," M added, "These are unusual circumstances but if you succeed in this mission then I'll upgrade you to 00 status."

Jonathan was shocked by the possibility of receiving a sudden promotion after such a short time and it took a minute to settle his nerves before finally speaking.

"What happened to Ms. Thorne?"

"Double-0 Thirteen was in Singapore investigating a man named Nigel Bloch when she vanished three weeks ago, I can't go into any further details then that."

"But you do know where she is."

"The Sino-British Detachment Office in Hong Kong discovered her arriving in Shanghai before hopping a train to Beijing," M explained, "She reappeared days later outside the Ministry of State Security where she announced her defection."

"Crap," Jonathan murmured.

"As you no doubt understand this is a serious situation that could affect not only our operations in Mainland China, but all of our operations around the world."

"I understand," Jona said, "Where is she now?"

"Macau. The MSS has rented out the top floor of the Casino Lisboa and Agency Executive Xu Yongyue has left a detachment of agents to providing security for Agent Thorne," Robinson explained.

"How would you like me to proceed?" Jona asked.

"Considering that this could result in an international incident we need to take care of this as quietly as possible," M stated.

"Rooftop assassination it is, but wouldn't the Chinese anticipate such a move?"

"Which is precisely why they've moved her to Macau, it's monsoon season there," Robinson reported.

"Well...I did say I wanted a challenge, What could be more challenging then trying to fire a sniper rifle in the middle of a storm?" he commented sarcastically, "When do I leave?"

"Immediately."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Win, Lose or Die

Location: Macau, China

24 hours later...

* * *

><p>Jonathan hurtled towards the streets of Macau at a speed that would have been lethal if he hadn't been wearing a parachute. As he neared the target distance he immediately yanked on the ripcord of his parachute and felt a jolt as he suddenly decelerated as the 'chute unfurled. He glanced at the tracking device strapped to his arm and pulled on one of the risers causing him to shift in the direction of where he needed to go. He reached the rooftop that would provide him with a perfect vantage point for his termination of traitor agent Briony Thorne. He triggered the release of his parachute and dropped to the rooftop, rolling as he touched down and gazed around the area, his only companion was the howling wind of the approaching storm.<p>

"Nice landing," a voice said.

Jona immediately sprang to his feet and tore the Slovak made K100 Whisper from it holster and aimed it in the direction of the voice.

"Show yourself?" he ordered.

He saw movement and watched as an Asian woman on the tail end of her teenage years stepped out of the shadows. She had long black hair and dressed in a pair of tight fitting black pants with a white T-shirt and holding a black guitar case.

"Wai Lin - SBDO," she introduced, "Denholm Crisp sent me."

"My contact," he said, returning his pistol back to its holster, "you got the rifle I requested?"

"Arrived just this morning, courtesy of Universal Exports. Follow me."

Wai Lin led Jona to the opposite side of the rooftop to a patio which overlooked the Casino Lisboa, but was lacking illumination, not that it mattered since he needed to remain unseen. There was a large awning that covered a section of the rooftop in order to protect from the sun and the rain, which was flapping about wildly due to the increasing wind. Lin took a seat at one of the tables and laid the guitar case down on the table before opening it, revealing the guitar itself. She reached inside the sound hole and pressed something causing the entire sound board to come off, exposing the pieces of a sniper rifle that was packed in black foam.

"They'd expect a weapon to be hidden inside an instrument case not the instrument itself," Jonathan snorted.

"We've got to stay one step ahead of Chinese Intelligence," Lin stated.

"Aren't you afraid that your operation has been compromised by Agent Thorne?" Jona asked.

"Yes. Which is why when we discovered her defection we shut down the Universal Exports office in Victoria Harbour as per protocol."

"What are you going to do now?"

"We have to waiting to see if the Chinese People's External Security Force raid our office," she replied, "until then we're hiding out in a secondary location in Kowloon."

Jonathan grabbed a piece to begin assembling the weapon when he suddenly realized that something wasn't right.

"This isn't metal," he stated.

"No. I believe that Dr. Hirani said it was comprised of a composite material that's just as sturdy as metal, but once exposed to a combination of sulphuric and hydrochloric acid it'll cause the weapon to disintegrate."

"Thus destroying the evidence," Jona said shaking his head, "Gotta hand it to the boys and girls of Q Lab. She in the building?"

"No. A fellow SBDO agent; Kim Dae Yung says she's being flown in via helicopter in order to minimize the potential opportunities for assassins."

The storm had finally hit the city and it was beginning to rain heavily by the time he had finished assembling the rifle.

"Isn't a bolt-action kinda unreliable in a situation such as this?" Lin asked as she handed him a metal cigarette case that contained the ammunition.

"Only need on shot, besides this is the type of weapon I used during my time with SO13. Having a sniper rifle with an ammunition clip just makes it unbalanced."

"I'll head down to the streets and bring the car around," Lin said as she stood up, "The windows here in Macau and Hong Kong are meant to withstand Typhoon force winds so Denholm issued you armour piercing ammo."

"Alright," he said as she headed for the stairwell.

Jona removed one of the rounds from the cigarette case and inserted it into the breech and shifted the bolt closed before flicking the safety on. He didn't have to wait for very long for a Harbin Z-9 helicopter to suddenly pass overhead and flew off in the direction of the Casino Lisboa.

"Shit," he cursed as he watched the helicopter landed on the casino's rooftop.

He had hoped that he would've been able to take out Thorne the moment she stepped out of her helicopter but the rooftop was out of his line of site would need to find a better vantage point and try to take her out while she was in her hotel suite. Jona glanced around and took notice of the stairwell enclosure and immediately slung the rifle over his shoulder and scrambled on to the top. He worried that the awning wasn't strong enough to support his weight as he eased himself out and slid down the rain-slicked fabric. There was enough of a depression in the fabric to all him to sit comfortably with a perfect view of the hotel suite, all he had to do was wait. He was beginning to shiver from the rain that was soaking through his combat suit when he caught a glimpse of Briony Thorne being escorted into the hotel suite by her entourage as he flicked off the safety catch. He needed her to stay still for a couple of seconds to get off the shot but she wasn't making it easy as she put herself amongst her bodyguards. They arrived at the suite that she was assigned to and one member of her security detail moved forward to open the door, giving him the opportunity that he was looking for. He put her in the sniper-scope's sights and squeezed the trigger, preparing for the knock back as the bullet leapt from the barrel and straight through the window. Agent Thorne happened to be looking out through the window when the round slammed into her forehead, snapping her head back and spraying blood on the wall behind. As her body toppled over Jona immediately slid off the awning and dropped to the ground, slamming the butt of the sniper rifle against the rooftop in order to rupture the acid cartridge. He discarded the weapon as the acidic mixture began to do its work and immediately raced over to the door to the stairwell and began his decent to the streets below. Despite the urgency of the situation he was careful not to run and draw attention to himself as he marched down flight after flight until he reached a doorway that led directly into the side alley. Wai Lin's car was in actuality a taxi cab that she had pulled around and parked by the time Jona emerged from the apartment complex.

"C'mon! You've stirred up a hornet's nest," She said as she leapt into the driver's seat.

"Where's my Extraction Point?" Jona asked as he climbed into the back.

"I'm taking you to the harbour. There's a speedboat waiting to take you to Kaohsiung where the HMS Repulse is currently docked," Lin replied as she drove out of the alley.

"The Repulse? I thought it was decommissioned in '96."

"It was brought back into service for this mission," Lin explained.

"Guess I should be honoured. But what about the Taiwanese Government? The PRC's gonna be pissed if they find out that they just assisted in the assassination of a defector," Jona commented.

"The Republic of China doesn't know that the Repulse is even dock in their territory, that way they can't be linked politically."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

><p>Location: MI6 Headquarters<p>

Fifteen hours later...

* * *

><p>M had just received an Intel report from the Minister of Defence; Nigel Yupland that Agent Jonathan Hunter had succeeded in his mission. He had reached the safety of Kaohsiung and boarded the HMS Repulse after shortly assassinating Briony Thorne. The People's Republic of China was covering up the incident as was expected and had declared that Agent Thorne had been a tourist on vacation when she had been murdered. The PRC was officially placing the blame at the feet of 'Tibetan Rebels' seeking to undermine China's economic stability. That was fine by her, let them believe what they wanted to, but that didn't change the fact that MI6's Asian Ops were potentially compromised. Despite the fact that the traitorous Double-0 Thirteen had been eliminated they had no way of knowing just how much she had talked. She had put out an advisory to all operatives warning them of the situation and all they could do was wait to see what happened. With the official report filed there remained only one thing left to do as she finished what she was typing: Jonathan Hunter - 009 status confirmed.<p> 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: By Royal Command

Location: MI6 Headquarters

Four days later (Present day)...

* * *

><p>M stared at the unmistakable image of the Denholm Crisp, head of MI6's Sino-British Detachment Office. He was a tall man with short, dark haired that had greyed at his temples over his many years of service with the British Espionage Service.<p>

"You're positive that it was him?" M asked.

"Positive. He chartered a boat to take him to Taiwan," Denholm replied.

"Not the first time he's been there," she lamented.

"No...not since-"

"I know. Any idea where exactly he went?"

"I sent Quen Low and Mi Wai to talk to the sailor who took him, he said that he paid him to take him to Taipei. Do you want my agents to apprehend him?"

"No, Jona's too dangerous. I'm sending Bond to you."

"Understood. I'll have Wai Lin meet him at the airport."

"Good. I'll talk to you later."

She terminated the connection and turned away from the monitor before tapping a button on the intercom.

"Yes Ma'am?" Moneypenny asked.

"Tell Bond that he's to get on the first flight to Hong Kong," M ordered.

* * *

><p>Location: Hong Kong, China<p>

Twelve hours later...

* * *

><p>Bond stepped outside of Hong Kong International Airport and took in the view of the former British Crown Colony turned Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China before he was approached by a woman. She was dressed in a pair of black pants and a white blouse, with shoulder-length black hair that was done up in a bun that allowed a few locks to hang in her face.<p>

"Excuse me, can I borrow a match?" she asked innocently.

"I use a lighter," he replied, pulling the silver-plated zippo from his pocket.

"Even better."

"Until they go wrong," Bond stated as he flipped the lid closed.

"Welcome to Hong Kong, Mister Bond," she said producing a set of car keys, "Universal Imports is at your service. The Aston Martin Virage that you requested is currently in the parking lot."

"Thank you."

"If you require anything please don't hesitate to call. Our offices are open 24/7," she said handing him a business card before walking away.

Bond examined the card and committed to memory the location of the office of Universal Imports in Hong Kong's Kowloon City District before slipping the card into his pocket and set off to find his car. He was only vaguely aware of an incident that had occurred approximately nine years earlier that had forced the SBDO to relocate and set up an new business in an attempt to throw off Chinese Intelligence. As he pressed the button on the electronic key fob and saw the flash of the headlights of a sleek black 2012 Aston Martin Virage that sat in the parking space. He approached the driver-side door and unlocked it before tossing his bag into the back seat and stepping inside.

* * *

><p>Location: Kowloon City<p>

Two hours later...

* * *

><p>The SBDO's Universal Imports office was a non-descriptive building situated in the heart of Hong Kong's Kowloon City District. Bond pulled the Virage into a small lot at the side of the building before stepping out and headed over to the front doors. He was greeted by a young half-Asian woman dressed in a light coloured woman's suit with a pair of reading glasses who was seated behind a wooden desk with a computer in front of her. She had a name tag that was pinned against her right breast pocket that had the name Jenny Wu written on it.<p>

"Hello. Welcome to Universal Imports, how can I be of service to you today?" she asked.

"I was hoping to speak with the manager," Bond said.

"Um...ah yes, Mr. Crisp is in today, please feel free to take a seat while I get him," she said.

As she went to retrieve Denholm he took a seat on a black leather couch that rested against a set of windows. He didn't have long to wait as she soon returned with an older man in a dark suit that he assumed was Denholm Crisp and immediately stood up.

"Welcome to Hong Kong, James."

"Denholm."

"Jenny, could you hold my calls?" he asked.

"Yes. Of course sir," she replied.

"Follow me, James," Denholm said as he led the Double-0 Agent into the back office.

The office was well furnished with plenty of Chinese artwork that was hung on the walls with a large desk crafted out of dark wood and a decent size liquor cabinet against one of the bare walls.

"Can I get you anything?" Denholm asked as he approached the cabinet.

"Scotch and Soda," Bond replied.

"Ah very good," he said as he prepared the drink.

Denholm handed Bond hi s drink several minutes later and the Double-0 suddenly noticed that the head of the SBDO was holding a glass of his own, this one containing a red liquid with a wedge of orange inside.

"What in the world is that?" Bond asked.

"Negroni. It contains a combination of sweet vermouth, Campari, and gin," he answered as he took a seat behind his desk, "I know that you're looking for Jonathan Hunter."

"Do you know where he is?" Bond asked, "M just sent me here with no explanation."

"He's in Taiwan, Taipei to be exact," Denholm replied taking a sip.

"So why am I here?"

"Because I assigning one of my agents to assist you in Taiwan."

As if on cue the door to the office swung open and the woman he had encountered at the airport stepped inside.

"And there she is now. James let me introduce you to my protégé, Wai Lin."

"Sorry I'm late, trailer jackknifed on the highway and traffics backed up," she said.

"Pleased to see you again," Bond commented.

"Wai Lin will be assisting you, just watch your back James."

"We'd best get ready," Lin said, "Before Mr. Hunter realizes that we're on to him."

"I'll give you access to whatever you deem necessary for the mission," Denholm stated.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: No Deals, Mr. Bond

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Late evening, the next day...

* * *

><p>Jonathan Hunter stopped in front of a dilapidate and mostly abandoned apartment complex located within Taipei's Wanhua District before marching up the steps. He took notice of a Triumph Daytona 600 with yellow paint that was parked on the street and immediately became suspicious as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He was in a crime ridden section of the Wanhua District, which was perfect for when one wanted privacy and where nobody asked too many questions. He arrived at his apartment and fished his keys out of his pants pocket and inserted them into the lock. The minute he stepped inside he activated his Golden Eye's MRI Vision and made out the skeletal image of an intruder that was hiding in an adjacent bedroom. Smiling Jona headed into the study and removed his SPEC 9 as he waited for the intruder to come to him and when he saw the silencer that was equipped to the end of a Walther P99 he struck. He grabbed the intruder's arm and slammed it against the doorframe, sending the gun flying across the room as a man with dirty blonde hair stepped inside. It took a moment to realized that it was the man in the video still that Kat had sent him, the one who she had encountered in California; James Bond. He punched Jona in the face, knocking his sunglasses off and exposed his golden-hued cybernetic. The two wrestled for the SPEC 9 causing Jona's finger to slip on the trigger and sent a bullet into one of the walls as he was struck again in the face, sending another bullet into the floor. Bond twisted his wrist forcing him to drop his gun as he was swung into an adjacent room and for a split second found himself airborne. He slammed into one of the walls and landed on an overstuffed love seat and before he could get to his feet the attacker was on him again, delivering a series of blows to his face while having his free hand wrapped around his throat. Jona drove his knee into his stomach to get him off of him before following up with a kick to the face. The blonde haired man stumbled backwards and Jona lunged forward, ducking a punch that was aimed directly for his head and blocking several others before driving his fist into the Double-00's jaw. Bond recovered quickly and seized him by the wrist, flinging him into a liquor cabinet with glass doors, which shattered upon impact. James his grip on his arm and swung him into another room, but Jona quickly seized him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him in with him. The Ex-00 quickly capitalized on the situation and drove his boot into Bonn's kneecap as a look of pain washed over his face. He aimed his elbow for his face and followed up with a punch, both missed and 007 retaliated by taking a swing at him. Jona grabbed his arm and drove his elbow into the joint, spun around and drove the bottom of his palm into his nose. He twisted his wrist, but was surprised when he easily turned it around and flung him to the floor. Jona smashed his foot into Bond's knee causing it to buckle and sent him crashing to the floor as he quickly leapt to his feet and delivered two vicious kicks to the attacker's ribs. He recovered and lunged at him, grabbing him by the waist, lifting him off the ground and slammed him through a glass table. Jona was momentarily stunned, which was more then enough time for Bond to grabbed a gold-plated candle stick holder from off a nearby cabinet and swung at him. The former 009 rolled out of the way as the candle stick holder came into contact with the floor forcing Jona to kick him in the knee again as he reach for the first thing that he could use to defend himself. It was ironic that he grabbed a bible of all things given the fact that he and religion never mixed and used it to block another swing of the candle holder. He dove the holy book into Bonn's foot causing a scream to escape his lips, but was quickly silenced when Jona smacked him across the face before driving him into the cabinet. He pinned him against by keeping the spine of the book pressed against his throat, but continued to struggle. Jona punching the book and driving it into his wind pipe and punched him in the face a series of times before the he found the strength to break free. He pushed Jona back and got him in a head lock forcing him to drive the book into his ribs several times in the hopes of breaking it. Bond smacked the book out of Jona's hand and swung him around, flinging him out into the hallway where he crashed into the nearby bathroom. The rogue agent grabbed whatever he could lay his hands on and hurled it at him the moment he appeared in the doorway. He ducked the object and quickly snatched a straight razor, which hadn't seen any use in a while and took a swing at him. Wanting to avoid getting stabbed Jona grabbed a towel from off the floor and used it to block the jabs before wrapping it around the attacker's arm. Jona slammed it against the door frame several times until he dropped the razor and rapped the towel around his neck and yanked. The sink shattered as Bond's head bounced off of it and gave Jona enough time to put him through the glass shower door and slammed him into the wall corner, but kept the towel around his neck as he began squeezing. Jona kept up the pressure just long enough for the man blacked out, his struggling ending abruptly. The Rogue Double-0 stepped back, breathing heavily and body trembling as the adrenaline coursing through his system slowly began to wear off.<p>

* * *

><p>Location: Wanhua District, Taipei<p>

One hour later...

* * *

><p>Bond wasn't sure how long he had been out but when he opened his eyes he found Jonathan Hunter was sitting on the table in front of him. He had numerous bruises covering his face following their little scuffle and had returned his sunglasses over his eyes.<p>

"Commander James Bond," he said, "so you're her new terrier."

"Jonathan Hunter...you have a lot to answer for," Bond said.

"Right...If you wanted to talk then breaking into my home is a funny way of showing it."

"You attacked me."

"You had a gun...just consider yourself lucky that I reframed from killing you."

"Why, were you going do to me what you did to Dr. No?" James asked, "If I don't report in they'll come after you."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've killed a Double-0," Jonathan said as he stood up and made his way over to the window.

"You've killed another 00?" Bond asked.

"I assassinated...Do you know how I became a Double-0?"

"I assumed the same as every other Double-0, but your file suggests otherwise with the amount of blacked out pages."

"Figures she'd do that...given the situation."

"Which was?"

"The defection of Double-0 Thirteen to the Chinese," Jona stated as he walked over to a nearby table, "Briony Thorne is the main reason that the SBDO was forced to relocate and put all our Asian Ops back a fucking decade. I was assigned by M to assassinate Agent Thorne."

"And in return you were upgraded to a Double-0," Bond said.

"Pretty much."

"Why'd you kill Doctor No?"

Jona suddenly ripped the table drawer open and removed a Venom 200ml tranquilizer gun. He whirled around and fired a dart directly at the 00 Agent, embedding it into his shoulder. It only took seconds for the drugs to take effect, but soon he had been rendered unconscious once again.

"If I'm telling anyone it's her...face to face," he commented, confiscating Bond's phone as he left.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Doubleshot

Location: Q Lab, MI6 HQ

That same time...

* * *

><p>Dr. Sanu Hirani had a look of concern on his face as he stared at the blueprints that MI6's Data Intelligence Group (DIG) had extracted from the Flash Drive that Bond had recovered in California. He didn't even realize that M had entered his office until she cleared her throat, forcing him to turn around.<p>

"Moneypenny said that you had urgent news," she said.

Hirani nodded and reached for the iPad that lay on his deck and handed it over to her.

"I've been going over the schematics that Ophelia Maidenstone sent me...this is what I found."

"The OMEN?" she asked, reading the name on the screen.

"The Organic Mass Energy Neutralizer. It's some sort of energy weapon," Hirani explained, "I've looked over the research notes and the energy it releases upon activation is capable of breaking down organic matter on a nearly atomic level, resulting in disintegration."

"Christ. Forget about dirty bombs, imagine if terrorists they were to get their hands on a weapon like this and deploy it in the middle of a city."

"I'd rather not," Hirani said.

"What are the possibilities that it went past the concept phase?" M asked.

"I think it would be dangerously foolish to believe otherwise," Hirani replied.

"I was afraid you'd say that," she said her phone began vibrating.

M pulled it out of her pocket and noticed that Tanner's name was flashing on the screen before she answered it.

"If it's Bond then he better have a damn good reason why he ditched Agent Lin back at the Grand Hotel," she stated.

"He's got Double-0 Seven's phone," Tanner reported, "He's asking to speak with you."

"P...put him on," she said, hesitating.

It took only a few seconds for them to patch the signal through to her phone and heard Jona's voice on the other end.

"Hello M," Jona said.

"Jona. What did you do to Bond?" she asked.

"You mean your new favourite? If you're worried that he's dead then don't, I just gave him something to help him sleep," he replied.

"Why did you kill Dr. No, Jona," she demanded.

"Forget about him, you need to concentrate you attention on Auric Goldfinger," Jona snapped.

"What's the connection?" M asked.

"They were part of the same organization developing the OMEN, until Dr. No broke away and formed OCTOPUS," Jona stated.

"The group of terrorists who attacked Hoover Dam?"

"Yep. Following Dr. No's death the group reorganized into a PMC."

"Is the organization that Dr. No was a member of Quantum?"

"Oh no...not Quantum. Unlike Quantum they're not afraid to take a more...active approach."

"Then who!" M demanded.

"Smert' Spionam."

"Death to Spies?...SMERSH."

"More like an evolution of the former Soviet counterintelligence organization," Jona admitted, "Did the DIG find the file yet?"

"What file?" M questioned.

"It's embedded within the Flash Drive code - look for a file call Cerulean. The password is...well you should be able to figure that out for yourself," Jona said as he killed the signal, Tanner came on seconds later.

"What would you like us to do?" he asked.

"Get Agent Lin over to Bond's location," she ordered, "and I want Agent Maidenstone to find that file."

* * *

><p>Location: Taipei, Taiwan<p>

Two hours later...

* * *

><p>Jona finished his bowl of Beef noodle soup and handed the waiter several Taiwanese Dollars to cover the cost of the meal before standing and leaving. He was in one of the Taiwan's famous night markets, a perfect place to lose anyone trailing him in the crowds as he made his way back to the stolen Triumph Daytona 600 that he had stashed in a nearby alleyway. His years working with MI6 had given his a sort of danger sense and his was going wild as he activated his golden eye's MRI function. He immediately took notice of several armed gunmen who were situated on the rooftops and within the alleyways and instantly knew that Eva Adara had found him. The woman had become the de facto leader of OCTOPUS following the death of Dr. No and had made it the organization's primary objective to eliminate him. He deactivated the MRI function and quickly changed direction, headed deeper into the crowd of shoppers in the hopes of losing his tail, but they continued to trail him.<p>

"Fuck," he swore under his breath as he slowly removed his SPEC 9 from his hip-holster.

He didn't have to worry about OCTOPUS trying to assassinate him from the rooftops, they were never that direct, beside Eva wanted nothing more then to watch him squirm, which meant he was the one with the advantage. He flicked off the safety and ripped it from the holster and fired a single round into the air. The pedestrians immediately began running for their lives as Jona forced his way through the crowd in an effort to lose the tail and quickly took refuge within a nearby building. He ascended the stairs and activated his eye's Magnetic Polarity Shield in order to block a hail of bullets the moment he exited onto the rooftop. He fired back at his attackers but continued to race across the rooftops until he leapt onto a roof that had ceramic shingles. The shingles shifted due to the increased weight and he was sent sliding down the roof.

"Shit! Shit! SHIT!" he cursed.

Jona launched himself into the air just before he reached the edge of the roof and crashed through the window of an of a nearby apartment that just happened to be occupied. There was a family that were sitting down to a meal when he made his impromptu entrance, resulting in the father to start screaming at him in Mandarin.

"Sorry," he said as he tossed a wad of cash onto the table and made for the exit.

As Jona slipped out of the apartment he brought his SPEC 9 to bare and found the hallway empty and made his way to the stairwell. He didn't like the idea of being out in the middle of the street completely exposed, but he wasn't going to have a repeat of what had just occurred. He burst through the front doors if the apartment and reactivated his Polarity Shield as he was struck by another barrage of bullets as he dove over the counter of a street-side Ramen shop and immediately realized that it had been ages since he had had Shōyu-style ramen. Ignoring his desire he grabbed a pot with boiling hot water from the stove and flung it into the face of one OCTOPUS thug who was unfortunate enough to get too close. The man howled in agony, grabbing at his face as Jona put his out of his misery with a bullet through the skull. He quickly confiscated the man's Deutch M9K and Jackal .357 and put them to good use as he bolted out from behind cover and gunned down two goons that were running towards him. Jona raced down the street and quickly made a right turn into a small, shopping arcade and leapt over the counter, avoiding a hail of gunfire. The shoppers fled from the area as he returned fire, purposely aiming for the wall-mounted fire extinguisher as more OCTOPUS gunmen streamed through the entryway. A single round from the Jackal was all it took to rupture the tank and send the pressurised powder everywhere. With their line-of-sight obscured, Jona easily picked off his attackers with a combination of his eye's MRI Vision and burst fire from the M9K.

"You'll have to do better then that you crazy bitch!" he screamed.

"That can be arranged. GoldenEye," a feminine voice stated.

He immediately whirled around and fired a blast from the Deutch in the direction of where the voice had come from, but found no one there.

"Damn it! Need to stop bein' so jumpy," he muttered.

"You should save your ammo," the voice said again, this time he realized that it was coming from a nearby PA system.

"You won't find me easy prey, Eva," Jona stated.

"Which is why I've tasked the OCTOPUS Elite with your demise," she stated with snideness in her voice, "This time...there is no escape for you."

"We'll see about that," Jona said as he prepared himself for the oncoming onslaught.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Man with the Golden Gun

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Three years ago...

* * *

><p>It was only the middle of the morning and already the middle-eastern air outside the Intercontinental Hotel had grown humid forcing the Italian-born man to reach into the breast pocket of his clean, white suit and withdraw a handkerchief to dab away the sweat that had formed on his forehead. He was a tall man with short, dark hair that was combed backwards, and sharp brown eyes that he turned towards the hotel entrance as another man emerged with a silver suitcase in hand. The Ex-MI6 operative was dressed in a casual suit that consisted of a pair of grey-black pants, a matching single-breasted black jacket that was left open, a black shirt, and a pair of black leather shoes. His brown hair was cut short, neatly combed off to the left and had a large amount of stubble on his face, but his most distinguishing feature was his right eye which he was forced to keep closed.<p>

"I fucking hate the desert," Jona complained as he stopped next to him and slipped on a pair of sunglasses, "Why are we even in this godforsaken place, Scaramanga?"

"Because the man I contracted to develop the cybernetic replacement for your missing eye lives here," Francisco replied.

"Then why couldn't your engineer come to us instead?"

"Because my friend, he prefers to never leaves his homeland."

Just then a silver Volkswagen Passat pulled to a stop in front of them, driven by an attractive woman with brunette locks that were covered by a black silk headscarf and steely eyes as she rolled down the window.

"Mr. Scaramanga, I'm Stella Kirkpatrick," she introduced.

"Ah yes, Mahdi assistant. Lovely to see you again my dear," Francisco said, "Come along Mr. Hunter."

The two climbed into the back of the vehicle and were soon on the busy roadways of the emirate towards the industrial town of Al Ruwais. For several minutes there was silence before Jona found the nerve to speak.

"How much to you trust Goldfinger," he asked.

"I was beginning to wonder when you were going to ask that," Scaramanga commented, "Goldfinger pays well for my services, but as cliché as it sounds I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

"I thought as much."

"There will come a time where he will decide you've outlived your usefulness," he warned.

"That...or I'm more of a threat then anything, but then that's why I brought the suitcase."

"I had been wondering why you insisted on carrying it around with you."

"I figured that if Auric is willing to spend half a billion dollars to restore the eye that Dr. No took then he's got to have some sort of insurance policy," Jona stated.

"You're a sneaky one, why MI6 dismissed you is beyond me," Scaramanga said flashing a smile.

"'Cause I was consumed with revenge," he replied, "...what can you tell me about your engineer friend?"

"He graduated from MIT at the top of his class," he stated, "Engineering was always a passion of his which is why it wasn't a surprise that he got into the business of developing industrial machinery. He's a very private man, preferring to keep his business small and low key and out of the news."

"And out of the bankruptcy courts," Jona commented.

"Indeed."

The Passat soon passed through the outskirts of Al Ruwais and surprising Jona at how quickly they had reached their destination as they slowly pulled to a stop in a nearby parking lot, Stella honked the horn once as they climbed out. The building before them was a warehouse and was about as non-descript as it could possibly get, with tinted windows and a razor-wire fence that surrounded the exterior of the building. A spectacled man dressed in Emirate-style clothing, with shoulder-length black hair that was swept backwards and a full beard emerged from the entrance and headed in their direction. He strolled through the blowing sand of the desert, a wide smile on his face and eyes that were bright with eagerness. He looked to be in his thirties, but Scaramanga knew for a fact that the man was in his mid-fifties.

"Francisco, my friend. Welcome," the Arab said in a loud, almost booming voice.

"Jonathan, this is Mahdi al-Fulan, the man I spoke of earlier," Francisco introduced, "Mahdi, this is Jonathan Hunter, he will be the recipient of your gift."

"Ah...hello, hello," al-Fulan said, shaking his hand vigorously, "come inside, there's much to see and do."

Jona and Francisco followed al-Fulan into the dimly lit warehouse that reeked of oil and industrial solvents and made Jona's nose tingle in irritation. The interior felt incredible cramped, but that was due to the fact that it was packed with industrial machinery of varying sizes and for a verity of duties. Mahdi eventually led them to a office that was located in the back of the warehouse that far more spacious then the warehouse itself, but it was what was in the room that drew Jona's attention. There were sophisticated diagrams and 3d generated renderings of the human eye, even medical sketches that looked like they were straight out of the 1800's. There was a large cutaway that was situated on the top of one of the tables, while the shelves contained nothing but glass jars filled with various animal eyes that had been preserved in formaldehyde.

"Pease, take a seat. Can I get you something to drink, tea, coffee?" al-Fulan offered.

"Coffee please," Scaramanga replied.

"You're lucky, I just got a package of Kopi luwak," he stated, "and for you?"

"Just tea."

"I've got mint infused red tea, hope that's not a problem?"

"Nah...it's fine. Sure looks like you take developing replacement eyes very seriously," Jona commented as Mahdi went about fixing the drinks.

"It has been a lifelong dream of mine to create eyes that work just as well as those that Allah created for us. Praise be to him."

"Must've put a lot of painstaking research into it," Jona commented.

"All well worth the time and effort...would you like to see it?" Mahdi asked.

"Yes...there's just one thing," receiving his tea.

"Oh, and what would that be?" the Arab questioned.

He lay the suitcase on a nearby table and opened it, reviling several stacks of American currency that was packed inside.

"I'll pay you fifty-thousand dollars to remove any traps or eavesdropping devices that Goldfinger instructed you to install," Jona said.

"Oh...I believe that that can be arranged," he said with a smile.

Al-Fulan moved over to a nearby cabinet that was locked with a keypad that required a fingerprint scan and opened it, removing a large jar that contained the mechanical eye in question which was submerged in a clear, sterilizing agent. The entire device looked incredibly complex but what instantly drew his attention was the golden iris.

"This is the result of all my hard research," Mahdi said with pride.

"Impressive," Jona stated.

"I must warn you thou, the retinal-nerve surgery will be...painful and long," he warned.

"How much time do you need to debug the device?" Jona asked as Miss. Kirkpatrick arrived in the room.

"Not that long," the Arab replied, "Stella my dear, Mr. Hunter has offered us a bonus, would you be so kind as to remove the traps and listening devices?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, taking the device an departing almost as quickly as she had appeared.

"Who does the eye work exactly, what's the power source?" Jona asked.

"The 'Golden Eye' runs off your body's thermal energy," Mahdi explained, "as does the upgrades."

"Upgrades?" Jona questioned, "What upgrades?"

"Goldfinger wanted to ensure that he got the most out of his...investment," Scaramanga stated, "The 'Golden Eye' wasn't just meant to restore your sight, it's meant to serve as a powerful tool as well."

"It has been developed with four abilities; Magnetic Polarity Shield, EM Hack, Magnetic Induction Field, and MRI Vision," Mahdi added.

"And are those 'abilities' powered the same way as the eye?" Jona asked.

"Yes, but some of them require much more energy then others."

"Then let's get this done and over with," Jona said.

* * *

><p>Location: Al Ruwais, UAE<p>

Thirty-nine hours later...

* * *

><p>Jona could only feel the throbbing pain situated in his right eye socket as the anesthetic slowly wore off and he regained consciousness. He became aware of the hum of industrial machinery in the adjacent room and the rhythmic beep of a heart monitor as he opened his remaining eye and saw Stella Kirkpatrick standing nearby. She was studying the electronic readouts from a nearby computer and must've sensed that she was being watched as she immediately turned to face him.<p>

"Oh good! You've awakened," she said.

"Keep your voice down," Jona complained, "I've got a splitting headache and no drinking to show for it."

"The retinal-nerve surgery went off without any problems," she reported.

"I still can't see," he declared.

"That's because it hasn't been activated yet," Stella replied, "Also its bandaged in case of bleeding."

"Ah! He's awake," he heard Mahdi stat as he stepped into the room with Scaramanga, "Are we ready to proceed?"

Jona sat up in the bed that had been brought in and Stella reached over and slowly unravelled the bandages from around his head.

"How are you going to activate this thing?" Jona asked curious.

"Two sparks of electricity will activate the internal machinery," Mahdi replied as he watched as Stella discarded the bandages into the trash.

"You might feel a slight shock," Stella warned.

She reached for a pair of probes that rested on a nearby table and carefully maneuvered them to the opposite ends of the 'iris' and pulled the triggers. Twin electrical sparks leapt from the probes and into the cybernetic causing the outside of the 'iris' to glow before sweeping like a wildfire towards the 'pupil' causing it to contract. Jona could feel his muscles finally beginning to relax after the sudden jolt and saw a single pinprick of light, which slowly began to expand until he could see the entire sterile room. Data scrolled down the HUD and a plus sign appeared at the bottom and split apart revealing three digits that quickly counted up to a hundred. The other squares disappeared but the left one remained lit with the silhouette of a person on it.

"Cover your left eye please," Stella requested.

He did as was told and Stella grabbed a nearby netbook and typed a few buttons turning the screen green before holding it above her head.

"Look up here," she said.

Jona did as was told and there came a ping emanated from the device as she moved it downward.

"Now down here."

Doing so caused another ping to sound and Stella moved it to the left.

"Over here."

Another ping caused her to shift the device into her right hand and he immediately focused on it causing a final ping to sound.

"Tactical array successfully activated," Stella reported to Mahdi.

"Excellent," the Arab said with a smile, "The eye's tactical array may take a moment to get use."

"And this icon I see?"

"The first of your upgrades: MRI imaging," Scaramanga explained, "when activated magnetic resonance will enable you to see enemies lurking behind cover, but it's range is limited. It consumes energy so plan accordingly."


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Never Send Flowers

Location: Taipei, Taiwan

The present...

* * *

><p>Bullets ricocheted off his Magnetic Polarity Shield as Jona raced through the shopping arcade, only turning to return fire with the Deutch he had stolen before using a counter for cover.<p>

"You can't escape from me, GoldenEye. I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth," Eva declared.

"Then I better make sure to kill as many of your men as possible before I die," he shouted defiantly.

One OCTOPUS goons charged his position and he retaliated by using the Magnetic Induction Field on him and hurled him through a nearby display case. An HS-90 lay amongst the shattered glass and Jona was quick to pocket the Jackal and behind cover and snatch up the weapon. A bullet grazed across the back of his right shoulder as he reached down to grabbed the assault weapon and he stumbled out of the way. The man he had thrown lay within the shattered display case, his eyes wide, but life had since left them. Jona immediately frisked the man claiming another magazine for the Jackal and a pair of grenades, which he quickly put to good use. He pulled the pin one of the grenades and dropped the explosive device to the floor, kicking it in the direction of his attackers. The grenade went off with a deafening bang and those who had been near it were sent flying as he bolted from cover and ran towards the closest exit. A burly man dressed in a ski cap and wielding an AR4 Commando stepped out into his path and Jona raised the Deutch and fired a blast the struck the man in the chest before discarding the empty weapon. The gunman collapsed to the ground in a heap and Jona leapt over his body and continued running. He was struck by two bullets, one in the left shoulder and the other burying itself into his right side and immediately regretted not wearing a Kevlar vest. Jona stumbled forward and fell to the ground, immediately activating the Magnetic Polarity Shield as he rolled onto his back to face Eva's thugs, blowing through an entire clip for the HS-90 before tossing it aside. He dragged himself out of the open and over to a support column, using it as cover as a squad of armed men raced towards him from the street entrance. Spotting a fire extinguisher that was bolted to the column that he was resting against he grabbed a hold of it and after closing his eyes and covering his mouth and nose ruptured the canister with a shot from the Jackal. He had been concerned that they wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, but Eva didn't employ the smartest of people and with aid from the Golden Eye he took them all out. He ejected the spent magazine and inserted a fresh one into the Jackal, cocking the weapon as he made for the exit. It was pouring down rain when he emerged from the shopping arcade and he quickly became soaked as he looked for a vehicle to jack. He needed to get away before Eva's men caught up to him again, but the streets were devoid of any vehicles forcing him to begin running. He soon heard the roar of an engine and glanced over his shoulder to see an OCTOPUS armoured buggy flying down the street and suddenly veered towards him. Jona stopped dead in his tracks and the buggy overshot his position and slammed into a hydro poll. He made use of the remaining grenade by pulling the pin and tossing it under the vehicle, running off in the opposite direction just as it detonated. The vehicle was hurled high into the air by the force of the explosion and crashed to the ground in a twisted, burning heap. Jona raced down the road and watched as a bus slowly swung around a corner forcing him to sprint in order to catch up, hitching a ride onto the back once he was within arm's reach. He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but his MI6 training was telling him the exact opposite and with good reason as another buggy swerved out onto the street.

"Damn it," he cursed to himself as he took aim at the windshield.

The first two rounds were way off their mark, embedding themselves in the hood of the vehicle and causing Jona to shake his head in an attempt to clear his vision. He was losing too much blood from the bullet wound in his stomach and his vision was starting to blur as he took a deep breath and put a round in the vehicle's tires. The buggy swerved and careening out of control before crashing into the side of a building, only for another one to swing out onto the road in pursuit. There was a brown haired woman sitting behind the wheel of the vehicle that Jona immediately recognized as Eva Adara, who was now taking things into her own hands. Eva fired a rocket from the vehicle's front-mounted launchers which impacted against the roadway and sent the bus swerving out of control. Jona could barely hang on as the backend it swung towards the shop laden street, but lost his grip when it swung towards the canal that ran along the side of the road. He was catapulted from the back of the bus and slammed into the swollen waterway, disappearing beneath its surface. Eva slammed on the brakes bringing the buggy to a screeching halt before stepping out armed with an AK-47 and unloaded an entire clip into the water. Realizing that GoldenEye had been swepted away by the current when no bullet ridden body surfaced she turned to her ski-mask wearing companion.

"Have the others search the waterways, I want his body," Eva ordered.

* * *

><p>Location: Crab Key, Jamaica<p>

Three years ago...

* * *

><p>009's battered body hung suspended from the ceiling, stripped of all but his black briefs after having been ambushed by men under the employ of Dr. Julius No. MI6 had been investigating his activities when their agents on the island started turning up dead. He heard only the whooshing sound of an industrial fan that was built into a section of the ceiling, while only a few rays of light the only indication of time of day. He heard a hiss of hydraulics and glanced in the direction of the door as two of Dr. No's 'Chigroes' stepped inside what had become his torture chamber. They were men and women of mixed Chinese - African heritage and were often employed by Dr. No to run his various operations. Dr. No wasn't far behind as he stepped into the torture chamber with a note book tucked under his arm.<p>

"And how are we this morning?" he asked with mock sincereness.

"I'd gag, but I'm afraid that it might kill the mood," Jona replied as he watched as two Chinese women who were as beautiful as they were deadly stepped into the chamber.

They appeared to be carrying a metal bucket filled with water, a car battery and a pair of jumper cables and he shuddered to think what they were going do with them.

"I'm impressed that you can still act so defiantly after what we've put you through," Dr. No stated as he snapped his fingers.

The men took over and one of them moved forward and stuck the MI6 agent's bare feet into the water with Jona fighting the entire time and attached the jumper cables to the bucket.

"You have information and I'd like it, please," Julius stated, "I'm giving you this one chance to tell me voluntarily before we torture it out of you."

"Eat shit and die!" he shouted.

"I had hoped we could be civil," he said, grabbing the other end of the cables, "You're last chance."

"I'm not telling you anything," he said defiantly.

"I can make this incredibly uncomfortable for you."

"Do your worst, doc."

"I intend to," he replied as he tapped the cables against the battery.

Jona screamed in agony as he felt several hundred volts of electricity shot into his body, causing his muscles to seize-up.

"Would you like to change your mind?" he asked.

"Thanks, I feel wide awake now," Jona mocked.

Dr. No frowned and immediately electrocuted him again.

"What are the names your associates!" he demanded, growing angrier.

"Go to hell!" 009 screamed back.

Jona managed to successfully stifle a scream as he was electrocuted again.

"I told you that I could make this uncomfortable," Julius reminded.

"Yanking out my finger nails was uncomfortable, this is actually an improvement."

Growing annoyed Julius electrocuted the MI6 agent again, but this time Dr. No continued to keep the cables pressed against the battery much longer.

"You friggin' psychopath," he screamed after he had finally finished thrashing about.

"You're making this far more difficult then it has to be," the doctor stated, "everyone has a breaking point. We just need to figure out what yours is."

"I'm not afraid to die," Jona stated.

The fact that the 00 Agent had been looking at him dead in the eyes when he had said that made Julius all the more disturbed. Jona hadn't been lying, his parents weren't overly fond of the fact that he had joined SO13 and were even less thrilled when they found out that he had been recruited into MI6. They had been quick to blame M for getting him involved when it was he who accepted the mission to kill Briony Thorne. He pushed that thought away and chose to focus on the here and now, and immediately braced himself for the inevitable as Julius electrocuted him again.

"ALRIGHT! I'll give you what you want," Jona cried out.

Dr. No smiled and nodded to one of the men strolled forward, approaching a leaver that kept him suspended in the air and slammed his foot against it, causing Jona to slam into the floor. He was fortunate that he didn't break anything in the fall, but that simply meant that Dr. No wanted him to suffer one last time.

"I want the names of all MI6's operatives here on the island," No said as he tossed the note book onto the floor in front of him.

"Can I have a pen?" Jona asked.

Julius removed a silver fountain pen from the pocket of his suit and tossed it into the air as Jona snatched it and immediately began writing. Once he had finished writing he slid the notebook forward as one of No's men moved forward to retrieve it, putting his back to him as he looked down at what had been written. It was just a bunch of gibberish that he had written in Welsh, nothing that would place MI6's agents in jeopardy, but bought him the precious seconds that he needed. Jona immediately leapt to his feet, seizing a handful of the man's hair as he plunged the fountain pen into his carotid artery.

"Take these chains off or he dies!" he demanded.

"You don't have the balls," the other Chigroe stated.

"Wrong," Jona said as he tore his makeshift weapon free.

His hostage's hands immediately flew up to his throat as he desperately attempted to put pressure on his wound before he bled to death. Dr. No said with a look of mild amusement on his face as he watched the entire event unfold.

"I'm not joking around!" 009 shouted.

"Oh please. You think you have a bargaining chip, but you don't," No stated as he removed a small remote from his suit.

Jona watched as Julius depress a button on the remote that caused the chain that was secured around his wrists to suddenly retract. The result was a slingshot effect that sent his body slamming into the ceiling, filling his vision with stars. The 00 Agents vision was a blurry as an image of Dr. No strolled forward, removing a top-break revolver from his pocket and pressed the barrel against his forehead. Jona drove his knees into his groan and caused him to double over, but the gun was still directed at him as he twisted his body in an attempt to get out of the way when the revolver went off. Jona screamed as he felt the bullet grazed across the cornea of his right eye and caused a bloody mist to spray into the air.

"Get rid of him," No ordered, "...dump him outside Portmore. I want MI6 to know that worse things will happen to their agents if they try to send others."

He turned back the MI6 agent and gazed at his bloody face before leaning in close and whispered into his ear.

"It could've been easily more then your eye."


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Never Dream Of Dying

Location: Portmore, Jamaica

Several hours later...

* * *

><p>The sound of a vehicle passing by caused Jona to awake and found himself lying face down in a ditch, discarded like a piece of garbage at the side of the road. He clutched his head with both hands as a shrill ripped through his throat as a stab of blinding pain shot through his right eye. He thrashed about in dirt as an outlet to vent the most excruciating pain he had felt in his entire life. The pain eventually subsided to merely a dull throb and he found the strength to clawed his way out of the ditch and onto the road. It was the dead of night and he wasn't even sure how long he had been unconscious for as he struggled to his feet. He looked down the road and could make out the faint light of a nearby town and slowly stumbled in that direction. He found that he had been dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, though his feet were still bare. Dr. No's employees had been considerate enough to dress him and for that he should at least be thankful that he was no longer nearly naked. He walked for several minutes along the deserted road concerned that with all the injuries coupled with a nap in a ditch he was to develop an infection. He soon stumbled across a payphone and made his way towards it, sticking his index finger into the coin return slot and felt a piece of cold metal inside. He removed the quarter piece before inserting it into the machine and was about to dial when his vision was beginning to blur. He planted his hand against the telephone pole to steady himself and waited a moment for the dizzy spell to pass before resuming dialling.<p>

"207-946-0139," Jona murmured as he struggled to press each button.

It was the number for Universal Exports and it was his only option for contacting HQ since he was out in the middle of nowhere. The ring tone filled his ears and it caused the dull throb in his skull to go into a full blown migraine as he waiting for the automated message to kick in.

"Sonava-" he groaned.

"Thank you for calling Universal Exports, our offices are-"

Jona immediately silenced the recording by hitting #009, which would send Priority Code to MI6's Headquarters in London, alert them that he was injured and needed help. He waited as another ring tone filled his ears before Bill Tanner's voice came on the line.

"009, are you alright?"

"I was abducted by No's agents," he said, his voice horse, "I was tortured and I've been shot...I think I've lost an eye."

"Where are you?" Tanner asked.

"I didn't know. I was too busy reeling in pain to ask," he replied, "I don't feel too good."

"Try to stay on the line awake," Tanner ordered.

"I..."

Jona felt the pain in his eye flare up and failed to stifle a scream as dropped the receiver and clutched his head, sinking to his knees.

"009?...009! Try to hang on, I'm contacting Station J."

Jona couldn't make out what Tanner had said as the pain surpassed his threshold and welcomed the sweet embrace of unconsciousness once again as he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

* * *

><p>Location: Station J<p>

Five minutes later...

* * *

><p>Lieutenant-Commander John Strangways was ready to call it an evening, but when his intercom beeped he knew that he wasn't going to get off that easily. No doubt his secretary; Mary Trueblood had something that needed to be signed before he slipped out the back door. He rubbed his eyes and stabbed a button on the intercom, hearing Miss Trueblood's on the other line.<p>

"Headquarters' on the line, Sir," she stated, "It's the Chief of Staff."

"Typical," he murmured with a roll of his eyes.

Strangways knew that his plans to leave the office early weren't going to materialized, but if there was one positive to it all it was that it wasn't the evil Queen of Numbers herself.

"Tanner," he said after picking up the phone.

"009 is injured," Tanner blurted out, "He contacted us through the emergency number, but we've lost contact."

Strangways was always mentally preparing himself for something like that to happen, but that did little to ease the cold knot that he found had formed in the pit of his stomach, especially with the loss of several good agents recently.

"What happened?" the retired Royal Reservist asked, swallowing hard.

"He said he was abducted by No's agents," Tanner replied, "He didn't sound good."

"I understand. Do you know where he is?"

"We've triangulated his position to a payphone along the main road outside Portmore," Tanner replied.

"Gotcha, I'm on my way," he said hanging the phone up.

Strangways got out of his seat and headed to the door, bursting through his office door which startled the red-headed Mary Trueblood as she typed away on the keyboard of her computer.

"Is Quarrel still here?" he asked.

She blinked at him with her bright blue as she thought for a moment before answering his question.

"He said he was staying late to catch up on paperwork."

"Tell him to meet me outside, we've got an emergency situation."

* * *

><p>Location: Portmore<p>

Twenty minutes later...

* * *

><p>A black 1986 Aston Martin Volante sped along the road of the darkened Jamaican countryside towards the city of Portmore.<p>

"For the love of god Quarrel, if you're going to drive recklessly could you at least stick to the speed limit?" Strangways asked from the backseat.

"Time is of the essence," he replied.

"Yeah...and it won't do 009 any good if we get pulled over by the cops," Strangways remarked.

Quarrel eased off on the accelerator, but still kept the vehicle over the speed limit as they drew closer to their destination. The head of MI6's Station J felt a wave a nausea wash over him as Quarrel swerved the vehicle tightly around a corner and immediately regretted letting him be the one to drive. He glanced down at the GPS unit that he held in one hand and watched the blip draw closer and closer until they were right on top of it.

"There!" Strangways cried out, pointing to a object lying at the side of the road.

Quarrel hit the brakes and the Volante slid to a stop as Strangways leapt from the vehicle and ran to 009's side. He was a bloody mess and looked like he had been running a fever, at first he thought the he might be dead until he checked his pulse and received a reaction. Jona's remaining eye snapped open and he seized Strangways by his shirt, staining it with bloody finger prints as a mixture fear and confusion appeared on his face.

"Jesus Christ! 009, it's John Strangways of Station J hang on," Strangways stated as Quarrel rushed over, "Help me get him into the car."

The two men carried the wounded and possibly dying agent over to the car and stuck him in the back seat before Quarrel climbed into the driver's seat.

"We're going to get you to a hospital, just hang on," he said as he slipped into the passenger seat.

Quarrel floored the accelerator and the Volante flew down the road and into the city and once again Strangways regretted letting him drive. After several minutes of driving erratically through the streets of Portmore Quarrel pulled the vehicle to a stop outside the emergency entrance of a hospital as Strangways rushed inside to get help.

* * *

><p>Location: Phuket Province, Thailand<p>

Present, twenty-four hours later...

* * *

><p>Francisco Scaramanga lay on a fold-out chair enjoying the afternoon sun that hung high with his long time girlfriend; Andrea Anders. Southern Thailand was a tropical paradise and being a former million dollar assassin allowed him to own his own little slice of it. He reached for his Negroni and took a sip, allowing the fluid to sooth his parched throat before returning it to the table beside him. His moment of bliss was soon interrupted by the sudden sound of a motorboat's engine that drew ever closer. Andrea didn't stir at the sudden noise and he sat up, lifting off his shades as he spotted the motorboat slicing through the waters off his island. The boat slowed to a stop and floated to the dock and he could see a man dressed in black standing on the bow with a duffle bag in his hand. He watched as Nick Nack; his diminutive manservant emerged from his estate to meet the visitor before leading him down the beach. Francisco soon recognized the visitor as Jonathan Hunter and immediately stood up and buttoned his shirt as he moved to greet him.<p>

"Mr. Scaramanga, a visitor for you," Nick Nack reported, approching.

"Hello Jonathan," Francisco said.

"Scaramanga. Sorry to drop in unannounced like this," Jona said.

"It's no problem at all, what brings you to my island?"

"Eva and OCTOPUS ambushing me in Taipei had something to do with it," he stated.

"Looks like you've managed to escape unscathed," Scaramanga commented.

"Yeah, after I found a mob doctor to yank the bullets out of my body. I need your help."

"Anything. I'll have Nick Nack prepare the guest room for you."

"Of course, Mr. Scaramanga," he said departing.

"So how can I help you?"

"I need to get to London, but for obvious reasons I can't fly commercial," Jona explained.

"You're in luck, I have to meet an associate in North Ireland so I can drop you off there on my way," he said with a smile.

"I also need another upgrade for the Golden Eye."

"What do you need?" Scaramanga asked.

"Oh...I think you'll like what I have in mind."


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Quantum-SPECTRE Connection

Location: MI6 Headquarters, London

Evening, one day later...

* * *

><p>It hadn't been as easy as simply locating the Cerulean File and activating it, Ophelia Maidenstone had learned that the hard way. The file was actually spilt up into smaller ones that ultimately spelt out the word Cerulean and it had taken several days to rebuild the entire file, but it was done. She raced through the hallways of headquarters, her green-hazel eyes darting about as she reached the Situation Room and found M with Tanner and Robinson inside. She ran a hand through her and Rossetti red hair and straightened her blouse before stepping into the room.<p>

"Sorry it took so long," she apologize.

"That's alright. Jona is nothing if not thorough," M commented.

Philly removed a flash drive from her pocket and inserted it into the USB port of the Microsoft Surface tabletop that was situated in the center where they gathered. A number of files appeared before them, but it was the one marked: CLICK ME NOW that drew M's attention and Tanner immediately selected it. The screen went dark and the words **SP**ecial **E**xecutive for **C**ounter-intelligence, **T**errorism, **R**evenge and **E**xtortion -**SP.E.C.T.R.E**. appeared on the screen. The file was an audio wav. file and it stated with a dial tone.

"Dominic Greene."

"Dominic, it's Gregg Beam."

"Ah yes Special Agent Beam, to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?" Greene asked.

"I have a proposition for you," Beam stated.

"You mean besides the one where you stand by and watch us install General Medrano as President of Bolivia in return for what oil we find in the desert?"

"We already know there's no oil there," Beam scoffed, "it's the water you're really after."

"You have a wild imagination, Agent Beam," Dominic said, a hint annoyance in his voice.

"Oh I'm not speaking to you on behalf of the CIA, I'm speaking to you on behalf of my real superiors," Beam stated.

"Is that so... "

"We know all about Quantum. We should, we've been hiding in each other's shadow for years."

"What do you want?" Greene demanded.

"Well...let's start by putting everything on the table, no beating around the bush, alright?"

"Fine...What do you want?"

"We know that you seek to control Bolivia's water supply and Quantum stand to make a fortune from it, we want in."

Greene burst out laughing and it took several seconds for him to regain control of himself.

"Do you really think that you and this organization of yours can just weasel itself into our business?" he asked angrily.

"Now now, Dominic you haven't heard me out yet," Beam said mockingly.

They could hear Dominic Greene grinding his teeth on the end of the line in an attempt to control his ever rising anger before he spoke again.

"I could have you killed, Agent Beam," Dominic stated.

"As could I, but that would serve little purpose. This proposition will profit both our respective organizations, Quantum more so."

"How so?"

"What if I were to tell you that you could potentially triple, even quadruple your projected earnings?"

"You'd have a lot of convincing to do."

"Let's say hypothetically that my organization were to help incite a rebellion within Bolivia under the pretence that they were opposed to General Medrano's rule. Maybe in the numerous attack staged throughout the country they were to attack...oh I donno that water pipeline that you and your Quantum associates are planning to build. Would you be able to use that to you advantage...maybe gouge the Bolivian people and suck'em dry?"

"...You're more devious then I gave you credit for, Agent Beam," Greene stated.

"Please...Gregg Beam never existed, a facade to divert suspicion from my CIA associates," Beam stated.

"You're a sleeper agent."

"Always have been. Number 1 had me installed as an agent of the CIA years ago in order to feed intelligence back to him. When he learned of Quantum planned involvement in Bolivia he had me reassigned as the Section Chief for South American Affairs as a way to facilitate contact with you. I fed misinformation to my superiors in the CIA that you had actually discovered oil on the desert and we would benefit by supporting your coup d'état in the region."

"And what does your organization want in return for helping Quantum?"

"Thirty percent of the profits, and we'll supply you the terrorists," Beam replied.

"...I will need to speak to my superiors of this development," Greene commented.

"Of course. In the meantime I must confer with Number 2 and Number 5 since it was they who drew up the business plan."

"What about you're organization, who are you?"

"Number 1 has given me permission to speak freely about our organization if it were to help the business deal and I shall. We have been around since the early 1940's back when we were the Soviet Counterintelligence Agency: SMERSH. We are now known as SPECTRE - the SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion."

"Extortion is rather appropriate since that's what you're attempting to do."

"You're hurting my feelings, Dominic," Beam mocked, "I look forward to speaking with you again."

The audio file ended and a heavy silence fell upon the room until Tanner finally found the strength to speak.

"Gregg Beam!" Tanner gasped, "He's an agent of this SPECTRE organization?"

"You heard him, he always was," Philly stated, "Quantum and SPECTRE working together."

"Would have been working together," M corrected, "Bond foiled Greene's plans in Bolivia so that partnership likely never got off the ground. We'll need to let the CIA know about this."

All those present nodded and they immediately resumed their review of the files, this time one that was marked Hierarchy.

**SPECTRE Hierarchy**

_**-Number 1 - Identity Unconfirmed, rumoured to be the Count De Bleauchamp**_

_**-Emilio Largo (Number 2) - French Banker, Head of Extortion**_

_**-Rosa Klebb - (Number 3) - Ex-KGB, assistant to the Russian Minister of Defence, Head of Execution**_

_**-Dr. Jay Autem Holy (Number 4) - Role Unknown**_

_**-Tov Kronsteen (Number 5) - Chess Champion, Chief Planner**_

_**-Jacques Bouvar (Number 6) (Deceased) - Ex-NATO Commander, Military Advisor**_

_**-Reginald Griffin (Number 7) - British Diplomat in Romania, Role Unknown**_

_**-Gregg Beam (Number 8) - Ex-CIA South American Section Chief (Deep undercover agent?)**_

_**-Dr. Julius No (Number 9)(Defected/Deceased) Head of Development**_

_**-Unknown (Number 10) - No Information Available**_

_**-Helga Brandt (Number 11) (MIA, presumed KIA) - Role Unknown**_

_**-Fatima Blush (Number 12)- Role Unknown (Maybe responsible for Helga Brandt's disappearance)**_

"Reginald Griffin? He works at the British Embassy," Robinson said, "He'd have access to all sorts of sensitive information."

"He's also the subject of internal Foreign Ministry report for questionable behaviour," M stated, turning her attention to Robinson, "Contact Peter Johnstone, he's the Minister of Foreign Affairs and he'll want to be informed of this information. What's next?"

"Rosa Klebb," Tanner said, "Worked as a Colonel in the KGB, now assistant to the Russian Minister of Defence."

"Who operates the Russia Ministry of Defence now?" Robinson asked.

"General Leonid Pushkin," Tanner replied, "He replaced Dmitri Mishkin after he was murdered by Ourumov."

"Isn't anyone worried that they had an Ex-NATO Commander on their payroll?" Philly asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

"Alright...change of plans," M said, "This is what we're going to do. Robinson you will speak with Dominque Everheart, our NATO rep, gwt Mary Goodnight talks with Minister Johnstone in your stead. Tanner you contact the CIA and report to David Petraeus about what we found, I will while speak with General Pushkin and advise him of the situation."

"There's just one file remaining: Financers," Philly reported.

"Open it," ordered M.

Philly was about to do so when Tanner's phone rang as he immediately slipped out of the room to answer it.

**Financers**

_**-Gustav Graves - Graves Diamonds**_

_**-Raphael Drake - Phoenix International Corporation**_

_**-Auric Goldfinger - Auric Enterprises**_

_**-Tamil Rahani - Rahani Electronics**_

_**-Kamal Khan - Indian Oil Consortium**_

_**-Severan Hydt - Green Way International**_

_**-Adrian Malprave - Malprave Industries**_

"That would explain why Goldfinger and Dr. No were at each other's throats," Robinson said, "No betrayed them and Goldfinger must've been tasked with eliminating him."

"And recruited Jona to do it," M lamented.

"And Gustav Graves, isn't he being knighted by Her Majesty?" Philly asked.

"At the end of the month. He grew up in Argentina working in the diamond mines there and now owns the largest diamond mine in Iceland. We always suspected that he was merely using the mine as a cover to launder Conflict Diamonds from Sierra Leone. What do we know about Malprave Industries?" Robinson asked.

"0013 was investigating Nigel Bloch; the CEO of a subsidiary corporation known as Identicon in Singapore when she defected to the PRC nine years ago. Other then it's a Swiss-based company we know little else," M explained, "I'm more concerned about Phoenix International."

"Raphael Drake, born to a Brazilian father and a Russian mother. He is a Green Industrialist and Humanitarian and his Phoenix International Corporation dismantles nuclear reactors and dismantles nuclear arsenals. Recently voted Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine," Philly reported, causing both Robinson and M glared at her, "What?"

"Nothing," Robinson replied, shaking his head, "What are you willing to bet that his hoarding all that nuclear material?"

"I'd rather not think about that possibility," M said.

"I'm surprised that Green Way International is on this list, they pick-up trash in my neighbourhood and you can't drive down the street without seeing one of their lorries," Philly stated.

"That was the Director General of Five," Tanner reported, re-entering the room, "he said that Jonathan Hunter just walked into their office and turned himself in. He's asking to see you personally."


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Reunion

Location: Portmore, Jamaica

Three years ago...

* * *

><p>M stared directly ahead as the buildings whip past the black limousine that moved down the streets of Portmore. Craig Mitchell, her bodyguard was seated next to her, his attention fixated on the buildings as Quarrel steered through the streets towards the local hospital where John Strangways was waiting for them.<p>

"How is he?" M asked stepping out of the car.

"They couldn't save his right eye," Strangways stated leading her and Mitchell inside.

"But he's all right?"

"The doctor's think that he may have suffered a seizure at the side of the road before Quarrel and I found him," he replied.

"That would explain the loss of contact that Tanner experienced with him," M stated.

"He's also reasonably pissed off," Strangways added as they pushed their way through the main lobby, "He's demanding to know what you're planning to do."

"We're not doing anything," M said, "Pull your agents off the active investigation, but keep continuous tabs on Dr. No."

"Are you sure that's wise?" the Lieutenant-Commander questioned.

"Dr. No was sending us a message and I intend to heed it," she replied, "Jona got off easy, I'm not risking anymore agents."

"He's not gonna like that," Strangways commented.

"Then he'd better learn to like it," M said as they arrived at 009's hospital room.

They found him standing in front of the window, staring out into the street dressed in hospital pyjamas. He knew that they were there and turned to face them, his right eye having been covered with a gauze pad and wrapped with a strip of bandage.

"M," he said stoically.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Exactly how anyone would feel after being tortured and shot in the eye," he replied as he turned to face the window again.

"Did you tell them anything?"

"No. I know the rules."

"What did he want?"

"The names of all MI6 operatives in Jamaica," Jona answered, "I wrote down a bush of gibberish in Welsh for him instead then stabbed one of his henchmen in the neck with a fountain pen."

The way Jona had said that last part sent a chill down M's spine and she immediately realized that the entire event had begun to change him.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked.

"We're not doing anything," she replied.

That cause Jona to snap as he whirled around to face her, his face twisted in anger and red with fury.

"You're what!"

"We're not risking the lives of anymore agents," she stated.

"So that's it? You're just gonna let him get away with this!" he shouted causing Strangways to cringe, "You're just going to allow him to get off after killing our agents and torturing me?"

"He could've done much worse to you, Jona."

"Yeah, it could've easily been more then my eye. I remember No saying that to me before I passed out."

"Due to your grievous injury I have to demote you," M explained, "It makes you too identifiable."

"Whatever."

"You're to be on the flight back to London as soon as the doctors give the green light," M said, "I want you to begin having sessions with Dr. Gordon."

"I don't need to see the shrink," Jona stated.

"That wasn't a request."

"And if I say no?"

"I won't have my agents going rogue. If you can't follow my orders then you might want to consider a change of career," she stated as she turned and left the hospital suite.

* * *

><p>Location: Thames House<p>

Present, one hour later...

* * *

><p>It was a chilly London night and a light rain fell from the sky as Donald "Red" Grant watched from the shadows as a white Bentley Continental GT pulled into an empty space in the parking lot of Thames House. He had reliable intelligence that indicated that GoldenEye had survived Eva's attack on him in Taipei and had returned to London to turn himself into MI5 custody. Of course that information come courtesy of the Supreme Head of SPECTRE who was now employing the OCTOPUS Group to clean up Goldfinger's mess. It was ironic that OCTOPUS was now working with SPECTRE given how they had been opposing forces until recently, but he supposed it had something to do with them no longer being affiliated with Dr. No. Grant watched as the man popped the trunk of the vehicle and stepped out, making his way around to the back to retrieve something. The chief enforcer for OCTOPUS immediately slipped out of the shadows and started walking towards the unsuspecting man. The MI5 agent removed a duffle bag from the trunk and set it down on the ground when he noticed him approaching.<p>

"Can I help you?" he asked as Grant drove the Billy club into his stomach.

The air expelled from the man's lungs and he doubled over as Grant delivered another blow directed to his head. As the man slumped to the wet pavement Grant immediately rolled him over and removed his ID Card and glanced at the name: Percy Osborne-Smith and shoved it into his pocket. He removed the man's jacket and slipped it on over his gray sweater and immediately stuffed the man's unconscious body into the truck and slammed the lid shut. He kicked the agent's duffle bag under the car and tossed the Billy club over his shoulder as he headed in the direction of the building. The moment he stepped into the lobby of Thames House he caught snippets of conversations between the various MI5 agents that were loitering about. The name Niall Dunne came up in several of the conversations and he recognized it as belonging to a fellow Irishmen. The man had served as sapper in the British Army before turned his skills against the British Crown as a member of the RIRA (Real Irish Republican Army). He was one of the PSNI (Police Service North Ireland)'s list of most wanted individuals for the attempted bombing of a school in Enniskillen. As he moved through the lobby he focused his attention on one of the conversations that was currently going on and heard details that he was searching for.

"...An Ex-MI6 agent you say?" one of the agents say.

"Heard he went rogue...was a member of SO13 before then."

"And we're just keeping him alone in the interrogation room?"

"He's demanding to see the Chief of Six."

Grant allowed the conversation to fade from his hearing and smiled as he approached the elevator and swiped Agent Osborne-Smith's ID card into the card reader, waiting for the doors to open before stepping inside. He pulled up the blueprints of the Thames House that he had committed to memory and confirmed that the interrogation rooms were located on the second floor and immediately punch the button. He felt the lift begin its ascent and checked that the Tesla EM that he had acquired was still in his pocket and stepped out into the hallway the second the doors opened. Grant strolled through the hallway, keeping his eyes fixated on the two-way mirrored glass of the interrogation rooms, take a passing glance at the occupied and unoccupied rooms until he found the one he was looking for. He swiped Percy's ID card into the door lock and opened the door with a gloved hand and stepped inside. He watched as GoldenEye leapt to his feet the moment he stepped inside. Grant pulled the Tesla EM from his pocket and fired a blast at him, disabling his Golden Eye and sending him to the floor. He fired another blast into the card reader outside and slammed the door shut, breaking the doorknob so they wouldn't be disturbed. GoldenEye was already picking himself off the floor when Grant yanked a silenced pistol from his shoulder harness. Jona lunged forward and seized Grant by the wrists and fought with him for the gun, causing a round to go into a wall before slapping the gun out of his hands. The weapon landed on the table in the room and Grant immediately lunged for it as Jona shove him into the piece of furniture, knocking the weapon to the floor. He grabbed a handful of the assassin's hair and pulled him back from the table but rreceived an elbow to his ribs in return as Grant wrapped his hands around the Ex-MI6 agent's throat. Grant slammed his body against one of the walls of the interrogation room and tightened his grip. A wheeze emerged from Jona's throat as he struggled to breath as he finally was forced to deliver a pair of karate chops to his neck, breaking the hold. Jona planted his foot into the OCTOPUS hit man stomach causing him to stumble backwards as he tried to tackle him to the floor. Grant caught him and swung him into the table before swinging him into the opposite direction, letting go as he collided with the floor. Jona felt his head bounce off the concrete, filling his vision with stars as Grant strolled over to him, removing a long steel wire from his wrist watch and wrapped it around his neck. A choke emerged from his throat as he struggled to get the garrotte off, but the man had a knee pressed against his back, making it impossible. The Golden Eye suddenly rebooted and Jona watched as the available energy grew steadily higher until he triggered the Magnetic Polarity Shield, electrocuting him. The garrotte went slack and Jona swung his arm back, driving it into the side of Grant's head, knocking him to the floor. He quickly rolled over and climbed to his feet, ripping the garrotte from around his neck as he took three steps forward and drove his knee into his face. The blow caused Grant's nose give way with a wet crunch, spilling blood onto the concrete as he stumbled to his feet. With the Golden Eye 75% charged he activated the Magnetic Induction Field hurled him through the mirrored glass and into the hallway beyond. Jona leapt through the new entryway and saw that Grant's body had landed against the wall as he approached. He heard a door open and glanced over his shoulder to see M and Tanner standing behind him with several MI5 agents.

"Worried about me?" he asked.

"You had us concerned at one point," she replied.

"Well shit for brains fell for it," Jona stated.

"You knew?...you set me up," Grant struggled.

"No shit! I saw you as I left Heathrow and I knew that you had been sent to eliminate me, which is way I came here," he said turning his attention to Tanner and M, "They were here fifty minutes before you decided to show up."

"You will tell us everything that we want to know," M stated, with arms crossed, "we have ways to make you talk."

"Drop dead you old fossil," Grant snapped.

"Right. My turn," Jona said pulling a switchblade from his pocket, "Tell me how to get into the Octopus or I'll start peeling you dick like a banana."

"You're bluffing," Grant said.

"Can you really afford to take that risk?" Jona questioned, "...TELL ME!"

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Grant screamed, though it came out little more then a nasally whistle.

Jona immediately grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall as he raised the blade above his head and plunged it into his thigh. Grant screamed in agony as he twisted the blade around inside the wound before ripping it free, before plunging it back into his leg, this time an inch closer to its intended target.

"M'DIQ!" Grant screamed.

"I need more then that!"

"The Fa'sia Fisheries building!...SPECTRE houses a fleet of mini subs inside," he sobbed.

"You're pathetic. What Rosa Klebb saw in you is beyond me, but if I find out you've been lying I will come back and cut out your eyes," Jona warned, "Do I make myself clear?"

Grant nodded his head between sobs as the MI5 agents dragged him off allowing Jona to turn his attention to M and Tanner.

"What now?" Tanner asked.

"Goldfinger has likely re-established himself within the Lair," Jona replied, "we won't be able to get anywhere near without getting shot at. We need a list of IFF codes."

"And we can get those at this Octopus?" M questioned.

"It's SPECTRE's auction house, bank, and black market," Jona stated, "The facility is submerged near the Southwestern Group of the Savage Islands."

"I'll have some agents scout out the site," M said, "but it looks like you and Bond are headed to Morocco."

"Are you sure that such a good idea? I mean I did kick the crap outta him," Jona warned.

"Think you can assault the Octopus alone?" she questioned.

"Point taken."

"Bond will cooperate...if he knows what's good for him," M stated, "I'll have members of the SBS backing you two up."

"Just remember our agreement," Jona said.

"A full pardon signed by the Prime Minister...I haven't forgotten."


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: In the Line of Fire

Location: M'diq, Morocco

Evening, present day...

* * *

><p>As the sun was dipping below the horizon, the heat of the Moroccan afternoon made way for the cold of the night as Jona lay on his stomach within the tall grass. They're location overlooked the SPECTRE controlled Fa'sia Fisheries building yet so far had seen no activity that suggested that the building was inhabited...plenty of security cameras though.<p>

"Shoulda figured that Grant gave up that information way to easily," Jona muttered as laid his scooped assault rifle down.

"Maybe you just weren't trying hard enough," Bond commented.

"I should've broken his fingers, that would've made him take me seriously," he replied.

"What are you getting out of this?" Bond questioned, "What has M promised you?"

"I told her that I wanted a full pardon in exchange," he replied, "I'm tired of running."

"I really don't think that'll make up for all the people you've killed?"

"You do realize that Goldfinger ordered me to activate the Seismic Bomb that OCTOPUS planted inside of Hoover Dam, but I disabled it instead," Jona commented, "The body count I've racked up is considerably less then what it would've been if the dam was destroyed."

Bond was left silent and Jona allowed himself to smile as he picked up his rifle and slung it over his shoulder.

"By the way...good job on offing Xenia."

"So you heard."

"SPECTRE's got eyes and ears all over the place, I'm just glab the bitch is dead," Jona replied before radioing to the commandos, "Gold Leader, we're going in."

"Acknowledged. System has been hack, cameras are on a loop," the SBS leader reported.

Bond yanked his Walther out of its holster and slid down the hill after Jona, reaching the bottom of the hill five seconds after Jona had. The two sprinted to the safety of the side of the building, pressing themselves against the wall. Jona activated the MRI vision mode of his Golden Eye, revealing that the building wasn't as vacant as it appeared.

"Gold Team, be prepared to move in," Jona advised.

"Copy that," Gold Leader replied.

Jona removed the Tesla EM that he had confiscated from Grant and shorted out the electronic lock before pulling the scoped and silenced SPEC9 from his hip-holster and slowly pushed the door open enough to see the positions off all the SPECTRE guards.

"In position," Gold Leader reported after several minutes.

He gave Bond a quick glance who nodded in conformation that he too was ready as Jona stood up and backed up slightly. He delivered a kick to the door and swung his SPEC 9 in the direction of the closest guard who was patrolling on a catwalk, firing a single shot that sent the man tumbling to the ground below. A SPECTRE guard armed with an SMG immediately whirled around in response and brought his weapon to bare only to have two slugs put into his chest by Bond. More gunshots were exchanged on the far side of the warehouse where Gold Team had taken up position indicating to them that they had began their surgical strike. Jona took up his assault rifle again as he and Bond pushed further into the warehouse, weaving their way through the wooden crates scattered throughout when another guard attempted to attack them. Jona was the first to go on the offensive by driving the butt of the weapon into the side of the man's head and followed it up by driving it into his stomach. The Ex-00 seized the man by the should and slammed his body against a stack of creates, tearing his handgun free and coldly executed him by shooting him in the forehead. As his body slumped to the ground Bond and Jona continued their way to where the gunshot had been coming from and were suddenly accosted by another SPECTRE agent. He fired an SMG in their direction forcing them to take cover behind a stack of crates to avoid the gunfire. Jona immediately activated the Magnetic Induction Field and sent a crate hurtling towards the man, forcing him to dive out of the way lest he be crushed. Jona quickly dropped down in a crouch allowing Bond to fire off a pair of shots that struck the man in the shoulder and then the head.

"How did you do that?" Bond questioned, stepping over the body.

"What? You thought that his eye was just glass?" he stated smugly, pointing to his cybernetic.

"Black Market tech?" Bond asked.

"You have no idea," he replied.

After weaving their way through the stack of crates they found that the three SBS commandos had already mopped up what resistance there was.

"Couldn't leave us any?" Bond complained.

"Secure the area," Jona ordered, "I don't want to find any surprises and gather up what weapons you can find."

Gold Leader nodded as he and his fellow commandos departed for the assigned task, which left Jona to turn his attention to the mini sub that looked vaguely like a stingray that was suspended above the dry dock.

"What's the plan?" Bond questioned, "you know...when we get there."

"Gun down anyone standing between us and the central computer," he replied as he moved over to a nearby computer console.

"That might work in theory," Bond stated.

"...and in practice," Jona added.

"Only if you want to get shot."

Jona ignored that last comment and managed to activate the console, lowering the watercraft down into the dry dock. The Commandos returned within minutes of securing the area, weapons and ammunition confiscated from the bodies as they busied themselves with rearming for their raided of the Octopus.

"I woulda thought there'd be more security," Gold Leader commented.

"SPECTRE didn't consider the possibility of us infiltrating the Octopus...too brazen," Jona replied, climbing atop the sub, "and that gives us the advantage."

* * *

><p>Location: Jamaica<p>

Weeks ago...

* * *

><p>The sound of a motorboat engine and crashing waves were the first things that welcomed Dr. Julius No back to consciousness. His throbbing head made it difficult for him to focus as he let out a moan and opened his eyes. He rudely discovered that he was unable to see as a burlap sack having be shoved over his head. He heard the engine slowly winding down, replaced with the sound of approaching footsteps until they suddenly stopped. He was fairly certain that his unknown kidnapper was standing in the doorway of the boat before the individual spoke.<p>

"Time to get up," he said, grabbing him by the colour and hauling him to his feet.

He was half-dragged, half-carried out onto the deck of the ship and threw him to the ground, tearing the sack from off his head. Julius was instantly blinded by the rays of the sun that hung directly overhead and cried out in discomfort as he raised his bound hands in a fruitless attempt to shield his eyes. Within a matter of minutes his vision had adjusted enough for him to clearly identify his abductor; Jonathan Hunter. It all came back to him, Goldfinger had dispatched a team to assault Crab Key led by his favoured enforcer, the appropriately named GoldenEye. The fact that he hadn't killed him back at Crab Key meant only one thing; and he did want to think about what he was going to do to him. GoldenEye roughly grabbed him by the collar of his suit, pulling him to his feet and threw him into a nearby chair, chaining his arms to a table.

"Goldfinger will betray you...if he hasn't already," No stated, his voice horse.

"Oh please, I knew full well that he'd be tossing me aside once you're dead. I knew it from the very beginning," Jona replied, "and I've planned accordingly."

"Is that why I'm still alive?" he questioned.

"You still have answers to many of my questions," Jona replied.

"Do you really think I'd tell you anything?"

"Why not? You're a dead man anyways."

"And what would you like to know?"

"What was the real reason for this war? There's a bit more to this then you betraying SPECTRE."

"Oh...so you are suspect."

"There are more suited individuals within SPECTRE that Number 1 could've employed, Rosa Klebb or even Tov Kronsteen could've dealt with you betrayal, why was Goldfinger chosen?" Jona demanded.

"The fact that you know the identities of Number 3 and Number 5 leads me to suspect that you've not been as loyal as they've believed."

"I won't ask again."

"He had a personal stake in all this," he replied.

"The OMEN?"

"Ah...so you found out about it."

"Only because I hacked into your computer files during the raid, had to entertain myself while you were busy napping."

"Goldfinger was embittered by the fact that he wasn't made a member of SPECTRE's Inner Circle, he thought that by eliminating me that he could curry favour with Number 1."

"What makes him think that by offing you he'd get into the Inner Circle when he could've replaced Jacques Bouvar when he bit the big one months ago?"

"He's developed larger aspirations then simply being a member of the Inner Circle," No stared.

"He wants to take over the entire organization by usurping control of SPECTRE from Number 1."

"Good boy," he said with a smirk.

Jona turned away and stared out across the glistening water from the yacht that they were aboard in silence before speaking.

"Was the OMEN complete when you turned traitor?"

"Only the plans that Goldfinger and I developed," he replied, "I have since completed the device on my own following my departure from the organization."

"Well...all my questions are answered," Jona said, grabbed a machete from off a nearby seat.

He hid the weapon behind his back as he walked over to the side of the table as he raised it above his head and brought it down No's wrist joints. There was a spray of blood as Julius cried out at the sight of his wrists lying severed on the table before him. as GoldenEye planted his foot against his chest, sending him overboard. The water slowly began to turn crimson as No struggled to keep himself afloat, but with two missing hands it was fruitless.

"You took my eye, I take your hands," he stated coldly as he tossed the severed appendages into the water.

"You can't leave me here," No cried out.

"The hell I can't," Jona spat, "In case you've forgotten I vowed to kill you."

Jona immediately turned away from the side and headed to the yacht's bridge and started up the engine again and pulled away.

"You might wanna try swimming to shore," Jona shouted, "If you don't drown first then the sharks might get you."


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Depths

Location: Atlantic Ocean

Present, forty-five minutes later...

* * *

><p>Bond stared directly forward out through the sub's cockpit window as Jona carefully steer the vessel<p>

towards the Savage Islands' South-Western Group. As the ship glided over a ridge Bond could see why SPECTRE had named one their _underwater bases_ the Octopus. The central hub resembled the main body of an octopus while a series of attached tunnels acted as tentacles, weaving their way throughout the area.

"How in the world could a structure like that go undetected?" Gold Leader questioned.

"We're thousands of feet under water, no one's looking for it and if they were then SPECTRE's probably disposed of them by now," Jona replied.

"What can we expect?" Gold leader asked.

"The Octopus is crawling with SPECTRE's Elite Guard," Jona explained, turning around in his seat to face them, "It's gonna get real ugly, real fast - hence my saying we should gun down everyone between us and the central computer."

"How do we get to the central hub?" Gold-3 asked.

"There's a transport system that runs throughout the entire complex," he replied, "When we reach the submarine bay we'll just hop one of the cars and take it to the central hub."

"You've been here before I presume?" Bond questioned.

"I was sent by Goldfinger to obtain the coordinates to Dr. No's base of operation; Crab Key," Jona explained, "This was after his attack on the Midas Casino and the takeover Hoover Dam, back when I only had OCTOPUS contend with."

"Instead we've got all of SPECTRE to deal with," Bond said grimly.

"Can't be helped, Goldfinger put a hit out on me following the Battle for Crab Key. I kept No alive long enough to keep myself alive and provide me with the answers I sought."

"Which were?" Bond asked.

"Not important," Jona replied, blowing off the question, "You got the worm?"

"Hirani delivered it to me before we left for Morocco," James replied, "once we install it into their computer system it'll transmit all the data to MI6's Data Intelligence Group for analysis."

"What if they attempt purge the data?" Gold-2 asked.

"I'm gonna hack into their systems as an administrator and block their access, that'll buy us some time to get to the central computer."

"Why not just install the worm on the first computer we encounter?" Gold Leader questioned.

"All the computers within the Octopus have limited access to the central computer, it is possible hack into the system and gather the data that way but with all the security measure they have in place it would take far too much time," Jona replied as he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

He steered the vessel among the rocky outcroppings and aimed the sub in the direction of the nearest docking bay. The exterior blast doors were sealed shut to prevent unauthorized access forcing Jona to switch his eye to its EM Hack function to force the door open. Being black listed by Goldfinger meant that his security clearance had been revoked by SPECTRE and using his access code would compromise the entire mission. The doors slowly slid apart and Jona immediately pushed the sub forward, sailing down the shaft for approximately five minutes before reaching the submarine pens. They gathered around the hatch and Jona activated his eye's MRI Vision mode and detected three guards patrolling along the catwalks throughout the submarine bay. He reported the number of guards to his companions and gestured that he would be the first to go up, positioning himself directly underneath the hatch and waited. He watched until all three guards were spaced well enough apart before triggering the hatch release, and slipping topside. The guards either hadn't noticed that a sub had dock or simply didn't care, which was fine by him - they were dead men anyways. He removed his SPEC 9 which he had fitted with a silencer, a scope, and a laser sight and took aim at the nearest guard and dropped him before turning his sights on the remaining two, eliminating them both before they that their compatriot was dead. He turned his attention to shooting out the cameras which by then Bond and the commandos had emerged from the sub and were glancing around the dimly lit bay.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the Octopus," Jona said.

* * *

><p>Location: The Octopus<p>

Five minutes later...

* * *

><p>With the three commandos having taken up position at various points within the submarine hanger Jona had busied himself with hacking into the system to cover their tracks.<p>

"And I thought the outside was impressive," Bond commented, approaching.

"Wait till we get further inside," Jona stabbed a button on the keyboard, "There...I've locked them out of their own system, that should buy us enough time to get to the central computer."

"Did you disable the alarms?" Bond asked.

"The security system is on an entirely separate computer system," the Ex-Double-0 explained, "We'd have to make a stop at the facility's Security Office and we'll have passed half a dozen security sensors by then."

"So we'll be detected within about five minutes, is that it?" Bond questioned.

"Can't be helped, my security clearance got revoked when Goldfinger turned on me," he explained.

He led Bond to a nearby console that was situated on the platform of the transport system and summoned the maglev car. They were soon joined by the commandos and within a span of five minutes the train car pulled to a stop at the platform.

"The tunnel is armed with sentry gun turrets, I'll hack as many as I can, but my eye's only got enough energy to do it two times before it needs to recharge," Jona explained.

"Then we'll just have to shoot out the turrets," Gold Leader stated.

"Once we leave we'll most like be detected and come under attack so remain on your toes," Jona told the commandos who nodded.

The five men climbed aboard the transport and Jona immediately positioned himself at the controls and sent it rocketing down the shaft. Within a matter of moments following their departure from the submarine bay the emergency klaxons began blearing as they encountered the first of many sentry guns. Jona immediately hacked the device switching it back to standby mode as they passed unhindered into as section of the transport system that contained a glass ceiling.

"So far so good," Gold-3 said.

"Don't get cocky," Bond snapped.

They passed underneath a security station and mere seconds later they heard a voice come over the PA system located throughout the Octopus.

"INTRUDERS!"

"Here we go!" Jona yelled as they encountered a pair of turrets

He was only able to disable one of the turrets but Bond reacted quick enough to blow up the other one with a few rounds for his P99. The Maglev car began picking up speed as it shot down the tunnel as the radio crackled to life.

"Team four reporting: we're in position at junction G7."

The breaks of the train car engaged as they rolled into the junction and immediately came under attack from all sides, shattering glass and peppering the exterior with bullets. Activating his eye's MRI vision he raised his SPEC 9 above his head and fired several shots at the Octopus guards to thin out their numbers before activating the magnetic polarity shield. He immediately stood up and pulled a pair SMGs free from his leg holsters and unleashed a spray of bullets at their attackers. Bond heard an explosion and peered through one of the shattered windows, paying attention to the large number of bodies that surrounded the smoldering remains of a forklift. Jona gun down a pair of guards in a security office across from where they had been stopped and fired on the control console causing the shutter that blocked the way to slid open. The train car shot down the tracks and entered a tunnel with a glass ceiling that separated them from the crushing waters of the Atlantic ocean before entering another tunnel. Now that SPECTRE was aware of their presence, they had dispatched men along the tracks in an effort to try hamper their progress. They easily gunned them down as they passed their position and continued down the shaft towards the heart of the facility. More sentry guns fired upon them, tearing holes in the of the roof of the train car as another train car pulled up behind. The three SBS commandos immediately fired upon the trailing train car depriving them of a chance to assault them. One of the troopers must've hit something vital on the pursuing train car because in the next instant it had been reduced to a raging fireball. SPECTRE must've managed to get partial system control as a shutter suddenly sealed off access to one of the tunnels, sending the train car down an adjacent one.

"Shit..." he murmured.

"Should we be going in this direction?" Bond questioned.

"They're trying to slow us down," Jona stated, "we'll eventually reach our destination, but they're going to try and give us a hard time until we reach our destination."

The train car continued down the various tunnels until they arrived at another station and immediately came under attack. The Octopus guards were better prepared this time around with assault rifles containing armor piercing rounds. The bullets tore through the metal walls of the train forcing all but Jona to the ground. The Ex-00 agent tossed a frag grenade out through the broken window, which exploded on impact and give him precious seconds needed to remove the obstacles. With the Magnetic Polarity Shield protecting him and a pair of .357 Jackals in each hand he began systematically shooting the guards. Bond broke cover and fired his Walther P99 at a guard who was attempting to get close, a single bullet to his chest flooring him. The three SBS troopers finally broke cover and fired upon the remaining guards as Jona dropped back behind cover, his GoldenEye having run out of energy. The train car was once again sent onward towards their destination, with no other stations between them and they had a straight shot to the heart of the facility.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Raid

Location: Octopus Command

Five minutes later...

* * *

><p>Gregg Beam snarled angrily, his rage building as he slammed his hands down on the security console in front of him. He had just bore witness to an entire security team which he had dispatched was annihilated by the intruders. MI6 operative James Bond; Codename: 007 and Jonathan Hunter nowadays known as GoldenEye had already fought their way from the submarine bays to the heart of the facility alongside their commando backup.<p>

"I want full system access back!" he screamed at one of the technicians.

This was all Goldfinger's fault. He had provided GoldenEye with his cybernetic namesake, giving him abilities which he had immediately turned against SPECTRE when Auric failed to eliminate him. SPECTRE's existence was now publicly known to members of the intelligence community and the entire organization seemed ready to come apart at the seams. The ex-double 0 was a paranoid individual, which allowed him to anticipate any attempts made by SPECTRE against him and remain alive. The only reason that the OCTOPUS group had managed to located him in Taipei was because he wanted to be found. Then there was Bond. The Quantum-SPECTRE alliance that he had proposed to Dominic Greene on behalf of Number 1 had evaporated and Quantum's existence and plans had be exposed. He never thought that he would ever encounter Bond again after he had killed Greene, but clearly god worked in mysterious ways and he wasn't about to let that opportunity slip through his fingers.

"I want any remaining security personnel to proceed to the computer core, stop the intruders," he ordered.

He doubted that they would be able to halt their progress without the central complex's automated turrets helping them. GoldenEye had disabled all but the ones within the tunnels, leaving those online and leaving them to believe that the facility's security had not been compromised. They hadn't realized that there was a problem until the intruders had disembarked at the hub and weren't cut down by the turrets. Beam exited the security office, grabbing an assault rifle and a Harpoon RL from the weapon lockers and quickly departed. He didn't what to think about the consequences if he failed to stop them, he needed to intercept the intruders at the computer core.

* * *

><p>Location: The Octopus<p>

That same time...

* * *

><p>Bullets filled the air, fired from one of the many rifles wielded by the by the security forces of the Octopus. Jona ducked into a nearby doorway, ejecting his spent magazine and slammed a fresh one into his SPEC-9. Bond and the SBS commando unit was further back, using whatever cover they could to protect themselves from the hail of bullets fired in their direction. Jona immediately holstered his pistol and ripped free a pair of machine pistols before breaking cover. He blew through both clips within seconds as he charged their position, his eye's Magnetic Polarity Shield soaking up most of the damage before forcing him into a doorway. Out of the nine man squadron sent to deal with them only two remained, both of whom were easily dispatched by Bond and their SBS allies. Bond watched as Jona discarded the machine pistols and snatched up one of the fallen guards' assault rifle.<p>

"How much further before we reach the computer core?" James questioned.

"Shouldn't be too far now," Jona replied, "give me the worm."

Bond pulled an object that resembled a credit card from his pocket and tossed it to the Ex-Double 0 as he pocketed it and took off down the hallway. James followed after him, the SBS commandos covering their rear as they continued their push towards the heart of the Octopus. Jona reached a set of doors that lead to the computer core and stepped through, finding himself standing on a catwalk that over looked a large chamber. There was a large circular computer console located in the very center of the chamber with holographic map of the world that floated in midair. Jona hacked a nearby, ceiling-mounted turret and watched as one of the patrolling guards was cut down by a hail of bullets. He leapt over the railing, firing his weapon on the guards below, taking them down before landing. Jona had already reached the computer console by the time Bond and the SBS Commandos had located a staircase that took them to the ground floor and was hacking into the system.

"Give me the Q Worm," Jona ordered.

Bond did as instructed and removed the credit card object from his pocket and slid away the top section, ejecting a micro-disk into the palm of his hand. Jona took the disk and inserted it into the disk drive, allowing the malware it infiltrate the systems and transmit all data to the Digital Intelligence Group back at headquarters.

"We've got ninety seconds," Jona declared, "We'll have to hold our ground until the download is complete."

"We should take cover then," Bond suggested.

"I'll stay and cover the console," Jona stated, "If its destroyed then we're screwed and I can hold out longer then you could."

Their three commandos from the Special Boat Service headed across the floor intent on taking cover behind the pillars in the room when a roar filled their ears. Jona watched as a rocket soared past and slammed into the floor, throwing the three commandos across the room. The Double-0 and Ex-Double-0 whirled in the direction of where the missile had come from and discovered Gregg Beam standing on the catwalk with a Harpoon RL in one hand and an assault rifle in the other.

"I'm so pleased that you're here, Bond!" he yelled, "you've caused a lot of problems for me!"  
>"Who the hell is that!?" he asked.<p>

"Gregg Beam," Jona answered, "The former head of the CIA's South American section. Didn't you read the files?"

"We left in a hurry," Bond stated.

"We take him alive," Jona said, "drag his ass back to MI6 and wring every drop of information from him."

007 acknowledged the plan and immediately broke from cover, fire a trio of shots as he dove behind a low wall. Jona watched as Beam took aim at Bond's position, forcing him to exited cover and fired a burst from his SMG in the direction of the double agent. Beam instead took aim on his position, forcing Jona to leave the safety of the computer console and direct his fire elsewhere. A rocket leapt from the weapon, soaring through the air as the Ex-MI6 operative threw himself to the floor, the explosive colliding with the wall behind him. Bond fired off several more rounds from his P99 in an attempt to draw Beam off of Hunter who was scrambling back to his feet. The SBS Commandoes had been taken out of the fight, knocked unconscious from the detonation of the rocket, but they were still at risk of being killed if the fight got any further out of hand. Beam momentarily discarded the Harpoon RL, the weapon having only been loaded with two rockets and switched to his assault rifle, firing on Bond's position. Jona raced over to the body of a fallen SPECTRE guard and tore a fragmentation grenade from the man's belt and sprinted under where Beam had positioned himself. He popped the pin on the grenade and tossed it overhand onto the catwalk above, forcing Beam to flee from the blast radius upon spotting the explosive. The grenade detonated in a brilliant explosion and sent pieces of the catwalk crashing to the floor along with the Ex-CIA agent. Gregg Beam lay sprawled on the floor, momentarily disoriented from the fall before coming to his senses and scrambling to his feet. GoldenEye was strolling across the floor towards his position and he immediately went about locating a weapon to defend himself. Discovering that there was no weapon within his reach Beam pulled a revolver free from his back pocket and aimed it in the man's direction.

"You forgot the safety," Jona said nonchalantly.

"What!?" Beam asked in surprise, checking.

Jona immediately slapped the weapon out of his grasp and backhanded Beam across the face with a closed fist, knocking the man to the floor. Jona grabbed a handful of Beam's hair and hauled him to his feet, throwing his body against the computer console. The Commandoes had begun to recover from the surprise attack upon them and Gold-3 had even managed to climbed to his feet, although his legs were having a difficult time supporting his weight.

"Please! Don't," Beam begged.

Jona said not a word as he pulled a syringe from his boot and stabbed him in the heart, injected him with a chemical cocktail that rendered him comatose and easier to transport. He had been hoping that they would be able to apprehend a high-ranking member of SPECTRE within the Octopus, one who could supply MI6 with all the information that they couldn't get from the Octopus' computer system. The identity of SPECTRE's mysterious leader was one such outstanding piece of information that he had been unable to learn. Just before the assault on Dr. No's headquarters he had attempted to extract that piece of information from the computer system while searching from the location of Crab Key, but had turned up empty handed. Beam on the other hand would most certainly know the identity of Number 1 since it had been he who had placed him within the CIA.

"What's the status of the download?" he called out.

Bond immediately approached the computer terminal and glanced at the screen, taking note that only ninety seconds remained.

"We're up to 97%," he replied.

"Good. I want two of you to grab Beam," Jona said to the recovered commandoes, "we're taking this dipshit back home with us."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Exposure

Location: MI6 Headquarters

Nine hours later...

* * *

><p>M and Robinson stared through the one-way glass at Gregg Beam sat alone within one of the many interrogation rooms within MI6's headquarters, handcuffed to a chair. They had been interrogating for several hours following his capture and yet he hadn't uttered a single word to them, not to use the restroom and not even for a drink of water. While they were wasting their time trying to break Beam, the DIG were busy sifting through all the data that Jona and Bond had succeeded in downloading from the Octopus.<p>

"So that's the man who order that hit on 007 back in Bolivia?" he asked having just relieved Tanner for the evening.

"Yes. If it hadn't been for Leiter, then Bond would never have known that the hit was coming or where

Greene and Medrano were hiding out," she confirmed.

"How long have we been interrogating him?"

"Seven hours and counting," she replied, "not including the time we left him to sweat."

"Do you really think he knows who this Number 1 is?"

"You don't get inserted into CIA as a Double Agent and not know the individual responsible," she said, "When do Bond and Jona leave for Southeast Asia?"

"Within the next four hours," Robinson reported, "Admiral Hargreaves and the HMS Devonshire have left Australia and should rendezvous with the Singaporean Fleet within the next several hours."

"What about the Americans?" she asked.

"They've already dispatched a fleet from Pearl Harbour," he answered, "What are we doing about the SPECTRE co-conspirators?"

"All the appropriate authorities have been informed, they'll be rounded up when the assault on the Lair commences," she stated.

"If we don't get the identity of Number 1 we may lose him forever," Robinson warned.

"All the more reason why we need to break Beam and quickly," M said.

"Then let us do it," another voice offered.

M and Robinson immediately turned around and saw Jona standing behind them, dressed in a black t-shit, matching pants and shoes, with a dark brown jacket. He was carrying a brown paper shopping bag with him, though it was impossible to tell what was inside. Bond was with him as well, dressed in a white dress shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes.

"You two should be getting ready to leave," M said.

"Ten minutes. That all I need," Jona stated, "I'll get you the name."

"...Do it," she said reluctantly, knowing what he was planning on resorting to.

Jona immediately walked past M and Robinson with Bond in tow and entered the occupied interrogation room.

"I was wondering when they'd send you," Beam said to Jona.

"Let's get one thing straight," he said setting the bag down on the table, "I don't play nice."

"You think your government sponsored brutality will intimidates me? I'm not afraid of you."

"Well you should be," he replied, "Did you ever wonder what happened to Oddjob?"

"No," he replied, though clearly the question had perked his interest.

"That's because he's dead. He got jealous that I was becoming Goldfinger's new favorite and tried to kill me," he stated coldly, "I responded by tossing his Korean ass down one of the shafts at Hoover Dam."

Bond grabbed Beam's chair and dragged him next to the window as Jona reached into the bag and removed a pair of black leather gloves, fitting them over his hands.

"I have nothing to gain by talking to you," Beam stated, as Jona removed a picture frame from the bag.

"Then think about what you have to lose," he replied, smashing it against the corner of the table. Bond grabbed him by the head and pried open his mouth as the Ex-Double 0 selected a random shard and snapped it in half, shoving it into the man's mouth. Bond held Beam's jaw closed and Jona drew his arm back and drove it into his face, followed by another, and then a third.

"We can do this all night. I've brought plenty of glass...," Jona hissed, "Or you can give us what we want, and we guarantee your safety."

Beam coughed, spitting out the bloody shards of glass, staring at he with hatred in his eyes and blood on his lips.

"I'm already a dead man," he snarled, "If Number 1 hasn't already sent someone to silence me then the CIA will most certainly have me executed for treason."

"Then let us protect you," Bond said.

"No thank you. I'll wait for my executioner."

Jona grabbed another shard of glass and the three repeated the entire process all over again, this time with the long sought after results.

"Blofeld," Beam said, coughing up blood, "Ersnt Stavro Blofeld. He's the man you're looking for."

"Where can we find him?" Jona demanded.

"Piz Gloria," he stated, "at that's all you'll get."

"Now was that so hard?" he asked mockingly, "but if I find out that you've been lying then you'll wish that you were dead."

Bond and Jona exited the interrogation room as two other agents intent on dragging Beam off to one of the holding cells.

"You two better get a move on," M stated, "We'll begin a search for Blofeld."

"I'll meet you down in Q Lab," Jona said before turning to M, "I've have a request."

* * *

><p>Location: Southeast Asia<p>

Thirteen hours later...

* * *

><p>Marion Hargreaves shielded his eyes from the sun as he stood on the deck of the HMS Devonshire, watching as plumes of black smoke streamed from the volcano that made up the island where the Lair was supposedly located. He was an older man of sixty, mostly bald with little of his dark hair remaining, dark eyes, and dressed in the uniform of an Admiral of the Royal Navy. The combined fleets of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Republic of Singapore and the United States had gathered around the island and so far the IFF codes were working. The whirling blades of a helicopter suddenly caught his attention and he immediately looked skyward as a Black Hawk soared past, landing on the deck. He watched as two individuals dressed in combat gear disembarked and immediately recognized one of the men as a naval officer formerly under his command, James Bond.<p>

"Commander Bond," he said, approaching him.

"Admiral Hargreaves? I haven't seen you since leaving the navy," Bond said, shaking his former CO's hand, "What are you doing here?"

"I was the keynote speaker at the Australian Defence Force Academy," he explained.

"Along with the HMS Devonshire?" 007 questioned.

"It was being used as a training vessel for the cadets," he replied, "when the call came in we departed along with the Australian fleet. Who's your companion?"

"Colonel Jonathan Hunter, formerly of SO-13 and MI6," Jona said, introducing himself.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," the Admiral said, shaking his hand.

"What's our status?" the Ex-Double 00 asked.

"We're waiting for the Americans to get into position," he reported, leading them across the deck, "We haven't come under attack so the IFF codes that you and Commander Bond stole must be working."

"Or Goldfinger just wants to try and lure us into a false sense of security," Jona commented.

"Well either way we've got plenty of fire power trained on that island," another voice said.

Bond immediately turned around and noticed a man in a flashy Hawaiian shirt, black pants, sunglasses, and a wide-brim straw hat.

"Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Howdy, Jimbo. Told you I was headed to Southeast Asia," the Texan replied, "though this is far more interesting then spying on the Chinese or the North Koreans."

"Jack Wade, this is Jonathan Hunter," Bond introduced.

"Ah! Yes, the man you've been searching for," he said, "I've seen your work at Hoover Dam."

"Well...I actually saved Hoover Dam by not detonating that seismic bomb that OCTOPUS planted," Jona stated, Jack nodding in acknowledgement.

"The US fleet has gotten into position, Admiral," Jack reported.

"Excellent news," Hargreaves said leading the group to the bridge of the Devonshire.

The bridge was dimly lit, illuminated by the glow of numerous computer consoles as the naval men and women ran about, monitoring the developing situation.

"Jona!" a voice cried out.

Pussy Galore suddenly emerged from the shadows of the bridge and threw herself into the arms of the Ex-MI6 agent.

"You got out of Singapore alright?" he asked her.

"Yes, thanks to that Wai Lin woman."

"Is that the request I heard you speaking to M about?" Bond asked.

"Yes."

"I left for Singapore not long after your visit," she stated to Bond, "after Berryessa Air Tours went under there was nothing keeping me in California."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Here's what we've managed to learn from both Miss. Galore and Uncle Sam's satellite network," Jack said, approaching a map of the island, "there are two docks on the island, one on the east side of the island and another on the west with what appears to be barracks, air towers, and motor pools at both."

"Have you detected any movement?" Jona questioned.

"Quite a bit since the first ship got within radar range," Jack replied, "A US Delta Force Team will insert themselves just north of the eastern dock and slip inside during the chaos."

"What about aerial defenses?" Bond questioned.

"The island's littered with SAM sites," Hargreaves explained, "We're reviewing the data that you stole from SPECTRE and are triangulating the positions of said sites and targeting them with missile strikes."

"We've also got a pair of AC-130H Spectres dispatched by the AFSOC from Kadena AB in Japan," Jack reported, "That'll give the ground forces some covering fire while targeting any SAM's missed by the fleet."

"Then I guess there's nothing left to do then, but prep for the coming fight," Jona commented.

"Will you be flying us in?" Bond asked Pussy.

"I had to leave my helicopter behind in California when I fled the Singapore," she admitted, "as much as I'd like to be the one to get two on the ground I'm gonna have to sit this one out."

"SPECTRE's not likely to remain still for much longer," Hargreaves stated, "I'll take you to the armory so you can get yourselves armed."


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Crosshairs

Location: The Lair

Ten minutes later...

* * *

><p>Jona sat within the hold of the Boeing Chinook, its blades cutting through the air as they approached the western dockyard. Enemy VTOLs that vaguely resembled a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey were already airborne, engaging in a dogfight with allied aircraft as the chopper continued through the air. An entire platoon of British SAS Commandos occupied the interior of the craft, eager to get the operation over with. Black smoke billowed into the air from the missile strikes that pounded the island's military infrastructure as they drew closer to the LZ.<p>

"We're two minutes out," the pilot reported.

The Ex-Double 0 sat silently, twisting his hands out of nervousness before reciting at portion of a well known Welsh folksong.

_Ym mhalas Llwyn Onn gynt, fe drigai pendefig,  
>Efe oedd ysgweiar ac arglwydd y wlad;<br>Ac iddo un eneth a anwyd yn unig,  
>A hi nôl yr hanes oedd aeres ei thad.<br>Aeth cariad i'w gweled yn lân a phur lencyn,  
>Ond codai'r ysgweiar yn araf ac erch,<br>I aethu'r bachgennyn, ond gwyrodd ei linyn,  
>A'i ergyd yn wyrgam i fynwes ei ferch.<em>

One of the soldiers must've been fluent in Welsh since he knew exactly what Jona had been saying for he immediately began translating for everyone else.

_The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking  
>The harp through it playing has language for me<br>Whenever the light through its branches is breaking  
>A host of kind faces is gazing on me.<br>The friends of my childhood again are before me  
>Each step wakes a mem'ry, as freely I roam<br>With soft whispers laden, its leaves rustle o'er me  
>The ash grove, the ashgrove alone is my home.<em>

"You speak Welsh? Where you from, soldier?" Jona asked in surprise.

"Cardiff, where do you hail?"

"Caernarfon," he replied with a smile.

"Gonna have to make this quick," the pilot hollered, "The LZ's pretty hot."

"Drop us off as close to the LZ as you can," Jona ordered, "don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Copy that," he replied.

They felt the aircraft begin to descend and Jona stroked the frame of the silenced MP5 with holographic sight as he peered out the window of the helicopter at the warzone below. The aircraft suddenly banked, narrowly avoiding impact with an incoming missile and continued on its flight path. Jona approached the loading ramp, rifle in hand as he jabbed his finger through the open door.

"All targets are hostile!" Jona yelled, "take no prisoners."

The British soldiers immediately charged out of the aircraft's hold and began firing upon the facility's hardened troops. The US Delta Force had attacked the Eastern Dock ten minutes before the rest of the fleet, drawing away the bulk of the Lair's defenses away from the Western Dock, allowing the British Strike Team to continue with reduced resistance. These weren't the troops normally stationed within the Lair, in fact that were attired in black combat armour with a gold-coloured bulletproof vest emblazoned with the logo of Auric Enterprises. It was clear to Jona that Goldfinger had successfully seized control of the Lair from Blofeld, either by eliminating the security forces or by turning them to his cause. The commandos were quick to eliminate any opposition, allowing Bond and Hunter to proceed into the complex without firing a single shot. Bond carefully scanned the motor-pool that they stepped into, shinning a mounted flashlight into the shadows, but finding the area free of hostiles. There were several tanks parked within the motor-pool, but there was one parked in the middle of the floor that was sleek and had a highly polished exterior. The whole thing screamed of high-technology and he could only image the weapons that SPECTRE had secretly developed.

"Looks like they've got more pressing concerns then guarding a couple of tanks," Bond stated.

"You'd think," Jona commented, spotting the tank, "Oh my god! I...think this might be the Platinum Tanks that SPECTRE was developing," Jona stated.

"How dangerous are they?" Bond asked.

"They stole Nanobot prototypes developed by Dr. Katya Nadanova," he explained, "They were originally designed to repair the electrical systems of Nuclear Reactors, through I heard they were attempting to weaponized them with fungal spores from the Louisiana Bayou."

"What would these modified Nanobots be capable of?" Bond questioned, growing more and more concerned.

"It would give them the ability to dissolve metal," Jona replied, "They were still performing research on them when Goldfinger I turned against me."

"So with them they could destroy say a dam...or a bridge," Bond said.

"Yeah...and that makes them a concern."

"How many of these Platinum Tanks do you thing they've managed to develop?"

"Without Dr. Nadanova expertise they'd have a hard time replicating the Nanobots," he answered, before speaking into his comm. link, "Delta Leader what's your status?"

"We're facing heavy opposition," the Delta Force Leader reported, "but nothing that we can't handle."

"Keep pressing the attack," Jona ordered, "Keep 'em occupied while we make our way into the interior."

"Copy that," replied Delta Leader.

"We'll wait for the SAS to fall back to us before proceeding," Jona suggested.

"What can we expect?" Bond questioned.

"It'll be like when we raided the Octopus," he replied, "just with Delta Force distracting the defenders."

The rest of the SAS Commandoes slowly began gathering within the motor pool as Jona approached the Platinum Tank and began climbing onto its surface.

"Um...what are you doing?" Bond questioned.

"Stealing the tank," he replied, "let's give them a reason to be afraid."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Bond asked.

"Oh please. This coming from the guy who chased Ourumov through the streets of Moscow in a tank," Jona snapped, "better we use it against them then have it used against us."

Bond rolled his eyes but couldn't argue with his train of thought and climbed atop the tank with several of the SAS commandos to assist with the operation. Jona slipped into the driver's seat and studied the vehicle's controls before starting up the engine.

"I want a shell into the cannon," he ordered, "I'm gonna used the Nano Shells on the door and we'll need the extra fire power while Bond takes control of the turret."

The topside turret was completely controlled from within the tank, keeping the gunner completely safe from harm and only required Bond to slip behind a set of controls.

"How do we know the Nanobots won't eat through the tank?" Bond asked.

"They're made of platinum and programmed not to target the material they're made from," he replied as he stabbed one of the buttons on the console in front of him.

Compartments on the outer haul of the tank sudden rose and opened up, unleashing a pair of canisters directly at the blast doors. The canisters detonated upon impact sending a cloud of green mist into the air and almost instantly holes began appearing on the surface of the doors. Jona didn't wait for the door to completely dissolve away and instead slammed his foot on the accelerator, crashing through it and tearing down the hall. The Lair's defenders were caught completely off guard and sent fleeing as 200 tons of metal came barrelling towards them, but were almost immediately cut down by the mounted turret that was controlled by Bond.

"I'll take riding inside of a tank any day," one of the commandos commented.

"Nothing wrong with having a bit of heavy armor at your disposal," Jona said.

They entered an intersection within the facility and the tank immediately became peppered by the ceiling mounted auto-cannons. Bond targeted those with the tank turret, blasting them from the ceiling as Jona studied the images from the exterior cameras. The Lair was a winding mess of corridors spread throughout the volcano and one could easily lose their bearings if they weren't careful. He rotated the tank in place, allowing him to scan down each hallway before selecting the one where several of the Lair's Guards had gathered. The Commandos fired the tank shell down the hallway, wiping out those who attempted to stand in their way, before Jona launched another pair of Nano Shells. The doors that barred their way instantly disintegrated as the tank continued through the facility unopposed, eventually reaching an area that was too narrow for the tank to fit through.

"We're near the Lair's core, but we'll have to proceed on foot," Jona said, climbing out of the driver's seat.

"Can't you fire a couple of Nano Shells and widen the opening?" one of the Commandos questioned.

"It was too dangerous," Jona replied, "I'd rather not bring the ceiling down on of heads."

Jona popped the hatch open and climbed out, followed by Bond and the SAS Commandos, and immediately approached an electronic keypad, switching to the EM Hack feature of his GoldenEye and unlocked the door into the core. As the door slid apart, Bond and Jona stepped into a large chamber with a wall of bulletproof glass that separated them from the cavernous chamber that lay beyond. There was a large cylindrical chamber directly in the center of the room with plenty of machinery scatter throughout. The door suddenly slammed shut behind them before the SAS Commandoes could step inside and their banging could be heard as they fruitlessly attempted to gain entry. Jona watched as several of Goldfinger's men stepped into the chamber, with guns pointed at them through the bulletproof glass.

UPLOADING DATA...

"Damn you! Can nothing end your miserable life!?" a voice shouted.

Bond watched as a tall man with blue eyes, short red hair, tanned skin, and dressed in a red suit suddenly stepped out into view.

"And you Mr. Bond you're becoming quite a nascence as well," he added.

25% UPLOAD COMPLETE...

"You mean to kill me, of course. But, unlike Dr. No, I have the upper hand, GoldenEye."

50% UPLOAD COMPLETE...

"Even as we speak, the airlock where you stand is being vacuum sealed."

The chamber in the center of the chamber slowly began to descend, revealing a piece of technology that Bond assumed was the dreaded OMEN.

"Soon, you'll feel delirious, and before long, you'll suffocate," Auric ranted, "and I will be most gratified, as you are the last impediment to my plan."

75% UPLOAD COMPLETE...

"I am impressed with the expert mayhem that you have dealt on my behalf. But, you are too powerful...and therefore, a liability

100% UPLOAD COMPLETE...

The device began to rotate, giving off a bright, blue glow that caught Goldfinger's attention as he whirled around.

"Th-the OMEN!" Auric cried out.

The glow grew brighter and Goldfinger whirled back around, planting a hand against the bulletproof glass while Jona watched on with cruel satisfaction in his eyes as a blast shield slammed down in front of them. Auric Goldfinger's cellular structure suddenly designating from the blast of energy, his final, agonizing thoughts were of having his own weapon turning on him.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Majesty's Secret Service

Location: Swiss Confederation

Seven weeks later...

* * *

><p>The sun was just rising over snow capped mountains of Switzerland as 007 rode inside one of the three helicopter gunships that soared over the area. Ernst Stavro Blofeld had been under surveillance by Interpol since they had learned his identity from Gregg Beam and only now they were now launching an attack against his compound; Piz Gloria. While Blofeld's co-conspirators had all been rounded up with little to no casualties, he had not yet been apprehended due to the Swiss Confederation's refusal to allow foreign military use of their airspace. This happened to be a blessing in disguise, as it lured SPECTRE's puppet master into a false sense of security. Eventually M had eventually managed to convince her Swiss counterpart at the Federal Intelligence Service of Blofeld's criminal and terrorist activities and the arrest would commence, but with backup from the Swiss Military. Bond was surprised that Jonathan Hunter wasn't along for the ride, but he had dropped off the grid shortly after the raid on the Lair. His whereabouts were currently unknown; or rather M was refusing to divulge Jona's location to anyone for safety reasons. He glanced down at his smart phone, at the only image that the DIG had managed to locate on SPECTRE's illusive leader. He was a baldheaded man with piercing blue eyes, and a vicious scar that ran down the right side of his face that nearly ran through his right eye. There was much about him that they didn't know about him, but things hopefully would come to light once he was in custody.<p>

"All three helicopters are in position," Captain Herr von Hammerstein reported.

He was a dark haired man with grey at his temples, a pencil thin mustache and dressed in the combat uniform of the Swiss Armed Forces.

"We're two kilometer out from Blofeld's headquarters," he added, before pointing towards the mountain, "up ahead, on the left."  
>"I see it," Bond said.<p>

One of the soldiers handed Hammerstein a sniper rifle and he peered through the scope as they flew over the mountain peak. Piz Gloria consisted of an octagonal-shaped house with a pointed roof of brown tiles with a pair of gondola stations beneath it and a large, octagonal-shaped helipad situated not too far away from the main building. Explosions from several SAMs filled the air as Blofeld's Security Forces moved in to engage the attacking military troops.

"Prepare to land," Hammerstein ordered, "We're taking fire, James, take 'em out."

Bond lifted his sniper rifle and began firing on the attacking troops, providing covering for the rest of the assault team a chance to repel to the ground. He fired several rounds on the defenders, trying to score a headshot in order to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

"We're going in," Hammerstein said as the helicopter moved into another position that was closer to the building, "James, get on the minigun."

"I got it," he said.

Bond moved to the opposite side of the helicopter and slid the door open and took aim with the minigun, aiming for the SAMs that were causing them trouble as well as the soldiers. The chopper moved to a new position in front of a Cable-Car Station and 007 fired on the men inside, not wanting to give them a chance to fire on the helicopter. The pilot moved the helicopter to yet another position, allowing Bond to remove the threat that the SAMs posed along with several RPG wielding troops before circling back to the landing zone. A rocket hurtled past the helicopter slamming into another one, sending it spinning out of control as it began losing altitude.

"We're hit! We're going down!" the pilot of the damaged helicopter shouted over the radio.

The helicopter slammed into the ground forcing the helicopter that Bond and Hammerstein were riding in to retreat further away from the building.

"We'll repel down from here," Hammerstein stated as several of the solider began descending to the ground below.

Bond grabbed for the repel line and slid down to the ground, immediately reaching for the Bennetti ARV that he was armed with and began firing on the approaching security team. The rock formations of the mountains provided a natural cover from the bullets that were flying as he, Hammerstein, and the rest of the assault team pushed their way towards a nearby wall. They had dropped off in an area that was at a lower elevation then the rest of the facility, forcing them to scale the wall to get to the crash site of the other helicopter. Hannerstein offered a grapple gun to Bond who gladly took it and aimed for the railing above, allowing the cable to bear his weight as he was pulled to the top. He grabbed a hold of the railing and pulled himself up, immediately rolling for cover behind a set of metal creates. Hammerstein and the others quickly caught up as he popped out from behind cover and fire a burst from his weapon. The others were quick to add their firepower to his own, as they pushed their way towards the main building of Piz Gloria. The interior of the building looked much like a chateau with recess-lightning that illuminated the space that he found himself in. The walls were lined with wood panels that bore several oil paintings of Blofeld himself, but now had been pockmarked by several bullet holes. He stepped over broken glass and pottery as he moved through the area, clearing out the forces that remained before reaching a staircase.

"Let's go!" Hammerstein called out as he raced up the steps.

There were more men waiting for them on the second floor and they soon found themselves pinned down, unable to proceed further. The sound of a helicopter's rotor-blades filled Bonds ears as he watched as one of the two remaining helicopters appeared, unleashing a spray of bullets that cut down Blofeld's troops. With no other opposition standing in their way they were free to proceed deeper into the mountain complex once they located the elevator.

"There must be a hidden lock or control panel somewhere," Hammerstein stated.

Bond removed his smart phone and activated its Biometric filter allowing him to scan for any fingerprints that might direct them to a secret elevator or passage. Locating a circular wall-scone that had several smudges spread on its surface, Bond bashed it with the bottom of his fist, causing a nearby section of wall to slide away, revealing a hidden passageway.

"I found it, let's go," 007 declared.

"This way, we must hurry."

The assault team pushed their way through the passage eventually coming across an elevator that would take them into the heart of the facility. Bond slipped on a pair of night-vision goggles over his head along with the rest of the team as the elevator door slid open, revealing a darkened hallway, with several rooms running along it.

"I see you found your way inside my headquarters, Mr. Bond" a voice said, coming over an unseen PA system, "But alas you're too late, I've already dispersed my agents of death to the four corners of the Earth."

"Blofeld...," Bond muttered

"What on earth is he talking about?" Hammerstein asked.

"I don't know," he admitted, "But whatever it is, it isn't good."

They proceeded forward, sweeping each room for hostiles as they searched for a way further inside, but each room looked exactly the same.

"This place is like nothing I've ever seen before," Hammerstein commented, "Bloefeld must've hired a madman to design it."

"It's designed to break you down...psychologically," Bond stated, knowing that that was Blofeld's aim.

"Are you sure you're going in the right direction?" SPECTRE's leader mocked as they headed through another doorway.

They reached a staircase and Bond slowly descended it, his finger on the trigger in case any guards were lying in wait. He momentarily held his position at the bottom of the stairs and waited for the rest of the Swiss Forces regrouped around him before they continued. They weren't even halfway through the room when several guards suddenly raced down the stairs and from an adjacent room, resulting in a firefight breaking out. Bond ducked behind a pillar as bullets buried themselves into the concrete and marble, while the assault team returned fire. Bond fired blindly from behind cover before bolting form cover and moved to a couch, firing at those who were coming down the stairs he did. The firefight lasted less the four minutes, but Bond was certain that more guards just waiting to ambush them. With the room cleared of hostiles the assault team headed through and open door and stepped into another hallway. This section of the facility seemed to have been more recently added, leaving exposed metalwork and rock. Bond slowly moved through the hallway, trying not to make too much noise as he rounded a corner with the rest of the team behind him. He immediately encountered a guard patrolling the corridor and Bond quickly switched to his silenced P99, firing a single round that penetrated the man's skull. Bond winced as the guard crashed to the metal floor in a heap, worrying that the noise he had made had alerted the others to their presence. When no guards came rushing out to see what all the commotion was he proceeded forward, Hammerstein's forces following behind. As they reached another doorway, Bond made a hand gesture that signalled to the commandos to hold their position as he crept forward. He removed his smart phone and activated the camera and zoomed in on a baldheaded figure in a brown suit standing at the far end of the chamber.

"Prepare the demolition charges," he ordered, "get ready to blow this place up."

Bond immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Blofeld as two guards moved to do as had been ordered of them.

"Take anything of value and leave nothing that can be traced back to us." Blofeld said, "Have they found Bond yet?"

"No sir," one of the guards replied.

"Keep looking. You, come with me, will check out the other labs."

Watching as Blofeld and the guard headed through another door Bond signalled from Hammerstein and the others to proceed forward.

"James, we'll handle the guards and disarm the explosives while you go after Blofeld," Hammerstein suggested.

Bond nodded in agreement and slowly moved out from behind cover, using the shadows to mask his approach as he made his way to the far side of the room. He waited for one of the guards patrolled near the door to move away before bolting through it. He entered another corridor and quickly moved down it, keeping his weapon at the ready as he stepped into yet another laboratory. Several more guards were patrolling the lab forcing Bond to remain within the shadows as he patiently waiting for one man to be out of visual range of his companions before taking him out with a headshot. The man's body collapsed to the floor, his death unknown to his companions as he lay hidden by the shadows. Bond bolted from his hiding place and disappeared to another mass of shadows, waiting for another of the guards to pass near his position before he reached out and snatched him, chocking him into unconsciousness. With another of the guards neutralized he slipped out of the shadows and moved towards closer to the sole remaining guard and unloaded his P99 into his torso. Bond stepped out of the shadows and headed up a small flight of stairs that lead to a door that was locked with a keypad. Bond removed his smart phone and reactivated the Biometric filter and studied the keypad and noticed that the fingerprint on the 1 appeared the brightest followed by the 0 and the 7, while the 8 appeared only dimly lit. Reversing the numbers yielded the pass code into the office and 007 immediately punched in 8701, causing the door to unlock and slide open. The interior of Blofeld's office was finely furnished, resembling Piz Gloria in design with large bay windows that overlooked the laboratory. He made his way to the far end of the office, to a finely crafted wooden desk where a laptop rest upon its surface. Bond used his smart phone to clone the computer's hard drive, sending the data back to MI6 for the DIG analysts to study. He moved away from the desk and spotted a safe embedded in the wall behind him and removed an electronic lock-picker from his pocket, inserting it into the lock. His watch became the control mechanism for the lock-picker and Bond began rotating the watch face. Lining up all the rings caused a beep to come from the watch indicating that the safe was now unlocked. He grabbed the handle of the safe and turned, pulling the door open and removing a file folder from within. Bond set the folder down on the desk and flipped it open, skimming through the contents to get an understanding of what Blofeld was planning. It was a research file on the possible application of using bacteriological warfare to sterilize the world's food supply. He snapped several photos, realizing that MI6 needed to be made aware of his find and was about to resume his search of the office when his arm accidently bumped into something on the desk. Bond watched as a large panel slid down from the ceiling, blocking his way out and projecting the map of the world on its surface. Looking for what he had hit, Bond activated the phone's Biometric scanner to aid in his search, but found nothing. He glanced around the office and discovered that a single wall panel had a mess of smudges on its surface and pushed on it, causing the wall-map to light up. The images of five woman appeared on the screen, each having been sent to one of five target countries: US, Brazil, Egypt, China, and Australia. A biological attack on such a scale would spread throughout the world causing a worldwide epidemic. Realizing that this was Blofeld's Endgame he snapped a photo of the wall map and sent a transmission to MI6.

"Bond here, I'm uploading a file of targets. Find these women and isolate them," he ordered, "They're planning a biological attack."

"Put down that phone, Mr. Bond," a voice said, "That call will cost you your life."

The world map dimmed and standing on the other side was Ernst Stavro Blofeld, appearing even uglier in person then that photograph could ever capture. He walked over to the left side of the room where a keypad was located and punched in a code, filling the room with noxious gas. Bond's lungs felt like they were on fire as he raced over to the world map and began unloading his assault rifle, in a desperate attempt to escape the deathtrap.

"NO! NO! DON'T LET BOND ESCAPE!" Blofeld screamed as he took off running.

Blowing through the rifle's clip, Bond began using the weapon to bash through the already weakened glass. The second the glass gave way an alarm began sounding throughout the entire complex causing several armed guards to begin streaming into the laboratory. Discarding the empty assault rifle onto the floor, Bond armed himself with his P99 and began firing on the attacking guards, while attempting to reach the elevator that Blofeld had entered.

"James, what's going on?" Hammerstein asked, coming over Bond's earpiece.

"Blofeld just tried to gas me in his office; he's trying to make his escape," he stated, moving from cover to cover, firing his weapon as he did.

"I'll have one of the helicopters to try a stop him," he said.

"I'll be too late, I'm going after him," he said.

"Good luck, my friend. We'll see you topside."

Bond bolted out from behind cover as he made a dive for the elevator, tucking his body as he rolled into the elevator car. He sprang to his feet and jabbed the button to go up with his thumb and allowed himself a moment of rest when the door slid closed. His lungs were still burning from the gas, but his vision had cleared considerably, through he had little time to rest further as the elevator doors slid open. They were back outside the facility and Bond watched as Blofeld bolt up the hill that led to the Cable-Car Station and immediately chased after him. Most of Blofeld's guards had perished in the initial assault and those how did remain were easy to dispatch as Bond entered the station. Blofeld was escaping down the mountain in one of the cable cars when Bond reached the docking area, forcing the 00 Agent to rush back to where he had seen the power generator and hit the emergency shut off. He scaled a ladder that to the rooftop of the Cable-Car Station and found a link of chain he could use to slide down the cable to the cable car that was adjacent to Blofeld's. He flipped the chain onto the cable and ran off the roof, allowing his momentum to carry him down the cable line. He was about halfway to the cable car when a rocket sailed past, fired from one of the two occupants in the cable car in front of him. The second he was over the car he let go of the chain and slammed into the roof, his body sliding across the surface as he grabbed a hold of an open roof-hatch. He swung his body in through the roof-hatch and drove his feet into the chest of one of the goons, sending him colliding into his partner and causing them both to fall through the broken window they had fired the rocket from. Chopper blades filled the air as Bond turned to see a helicopter come into view, but not one belonging to the Swiss military. He spotted a pair of Rocket Launchers resting up against one of the walls and quickly grabbed one as the heli opened fire on him, bullets tearing through the metal. He launched the rocket at the copter as it hovered, prepared to fire on his position causing fire and black smoke to spew from it. He discarded the rocket launcher and reached of the other one, quickly taking aim before the chopper had a chance to fire on him again. The rocket slammed into the aircraft and sent it spiraling out of control as it slammed into the cable line, causing the cable car to begin swinging wildly. Bond kicked the car door open and leapt for the support tower, just barely managing grab hold of it and pulling himself up. Once safely on the tower he turned around in time to see the cable car become dethatched from the cable line and plummet to the ice and rocks below. Blofeld's cable car was just below the tower and he immediately jumped to the roof, aiming his P99 through the roof hatch as he scanned for the baldheaded bastard when Blofeld suddenly reached up through the hatch and seized him by the arm.

"Damn you, Bond!" he sneered, yanking him through the hole.

Bond slammed into the floor and immediately scrambled for his pistol which had slipped of his grasp during the fall. Blofeld leapt down from his perch and kicked the gun away from him as he grabbed him by the collar and punched him in the face. Bond stumbled backwards, reeling as he retaliated by aiming for the man's kidneys and face; eventually grabbing him by the collar and hurling him face first into the side of the car. Bond grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed him into the wall, only to be elbowed in the ribs and head-butted him in the face and planted his into Bond's chest. The British agent stumbled backwards, giving Blofeld time to arm himself with a fire axe and took a swing, forcing him to dodge. The baldheaded man with a disfiguring scar raised the axe above his head and Bond seized it before he could bring it down, twisting it free from his grasp, delivering a right a left hook. He once again began delivering blow after blow to Blofeld's face and kidneys, when he was socked him in the face and kicked him in the chest. Bond nearly fell through the open door as Blofeld rushed him, forcing Bond to drive him back by planting his foot into his chest, given him precious second to climb back inside the cable car. Blofeld lunged at him with a right hook, but grabbed him by the arm and preformed a Judo throw sent him through the door. Blofeld grabbed a hold of the floor and dangled helplessly as Bond slowly approached.

"You think you fucking won!?" Blofeld spat.

"It does from where I'm standing," Bond replied.

"So it may appear, but I've got one final card to play."

"I've already uncovered your plans to contaminate the world's food supply. The countries you've targeted will be on the lookout for your Angels of Death."

"I wasn't talking about them," he grinned, "Auric created the greatest thorn in SPECTRE's side, but he was still useful in getting rid of that bloated fool. Now he's got to go."

"Hunter's a big boy, I'm sure he can handle himself," Bond replied.

"Perhaps. But that doesn't mean that Miss. Adara won't still try," he said, reaching up a grabbing him by the leg, tripping him up.

Bond fell to the floor and realized the Blofeld was fully prepared to kill them both by dragging them to their death as he was seized by the back of the neck. James planted a gloved hand against Blofeld's face, using all his strength to push him down, until he lost his grip and was sent plummeting to the rocks. His arms flailed about as he fell, a lingering scream being all that remained of SPECTRE's infamous leader.

"Bond to MI6."

"What's Blofeld's status?" M asked, coming on the line.

"Unclear. Presumed dead," he reported, "You need to send a team to find Hunter, Blofeld's sent an assassin to take care of him."

"Any idea exactly who he might've sent?" M questioned.

"Eva Adara."


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Live and Die

Location: Winchester, United Kingdom

Four days after the fall of Goldfinger...

* * *

><p>Jonathan Hunter glanced out the window of the helicopter, watching the rain fall in sheets from the sky as it travelled through the skies above Winchester. Barely an hour before he had received a call from Tanner who reported that the police in Winchester had preformed a background check on him, and MI6 had been alerted to it. He had received his pardon from the Prime Minister and had begun settling into a quite life with Pussy Galore, but the fact that someone was doing searches on him so soon after the mission was a concern. Tanner had contacted the authorities in Winchester, demanding to know why they were trying to dig up information on an asset. The fact that he was being referred to as an asset was ironic given how he had caused more harm then good in the past three years, and wanted nothing more then to disappear into obscurity. Tanner had eventually uncovered the reason for the background search; his ex-girlfriend had been involved in a life threatening car accident and she was pleading to see him.<p>

"When was the last time you saw Vanessa?" Tanner asked, sitting next to him.

"I haven't see Vanessa in three years, not since she broken off our relationship just prior to my leaving for Jamaica," he answered.

The whole situation brought up a lot of feelings that he had long ago buried, but surprisingly anger wasn't one of them. It could be argued that they're breakup had actually been for the best, he had wound up in a very dark place and Vanessa would've been disgusted with the things he had done, put it had allowed him to expose SPECTRE. The flashing lights of several emergency vehicles caught Jona's eye as the helicopter descended, landing within a field near the scene of the accident. The rain seemed to fall even harder as Jona and Tanner climbed of the helicopter and headed towards the crowd of people who had gathered to watch.

"I'm sorry but you'll have to step back," a Constable said, approaching the police tape.

"I'm Bill Tanner with MI6," the Chief of Staff introduced, "This is Jonathan Hunter."

"The one the victim's been asking for," the Constable said.

"What exactly happened?" he asked.

"She was run off the road by an erratic driver...probably drunk, she slammed into a police box," he explained, "she's pinned in the wreckage."

"So why isn't anyone trying to cut her free?" he demanded.

"...The wreckage is what's keeping her alive," he stated.

"I want to see her," Jona said.

"Of course," the Constable said as he lifted up the police tape.

Jona walked across the road to the sidewalk where a red Aston Martin DBS lay crumpled and were a young woman with black hair lay pinned in the driver seat. She saw him even before he had reached the car and smiled weakly as he dropped to his knees.

"Hey baby," she said, "I was worried that you won't come."

"Any earlier and I would've still been out of the country," he admitted, "Why did you want to see me? Our relationship didn't exactly end on a high note."

"I'm sorry for that," she said, the look of regret appearing in her vivid blue eyes, "I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me? You know I can handle myself."

"You do dangerous work; I didn't want someone thinking that they could use me to get to you," she said, reaching for his hand.

"Well...you'd be correct about the dangerous job part," he said, removing his sunglasses.

"Oh baby, what did they do to you?" she asked, noticing the cybernetic eye.

"I was shot in the eye not long after we broke-up by a man I was investigating," he explained.

"Oh baby, I was worried that this would happen," Vanessa said.

She reached forward to trace that scar with her index finger causing him to involuntarily flinch from her touch.

"Well...it was actually a blessing in disguise," he stated.

"How could losing your eye be a blessing?" she asked.

"I would never have been dismissed from the SIS and would never have uncovered the war between two international terrorist organizations. But you were right to breakup with me...I was in a bad place after the accident," he explained, "Breaking up was the best thing you could've done. I gained a lot of enemies by exposing them to the SIS; I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if they tried to get you involved."

"It was a mistake. I realized that not long after...when I found out I was pregnant."

"What!?" Jona asked in disbelief.

"You have a son," she sobbed, "I only discovered days later, but when I tried to contact you, you had already left."

"I'm...a father?" he asked, stunned.

"Yes. His name's Colin, but I always called his C.K.," Vanessa said, "I'm sorry...for everything."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Jona said, "you were just trying to protect our son. Where is he?"

"They took him away," she replied, "they loaded him into an ambulance and took him to the children's hospital."

Jona sat in silence, struggling to process the information that he had just learned, but Vanessa continued to speak.

"Baby...get me out of this car," she pleaded, "I don't want it to become my coffin."

"You'll die if I do that," he warned.

"I'm already dead," she replied, "Just spare me the agony."

Jona swallowed hard and nodded, leaning forward to grab the seat release and slid the driver's seat back. Vanessa let out a moan of pain as the pressure on her organs was relieved and she was pulled free of the vehicle.

"Tell me about our son," Jona requested, cradling his ex-girlfriend in his arms.

"He's a little older then two and he looks just like his daddy," she said with a smile, "you'd be proud."

"Does he know about me?" he asked, stroking her long hair.

"I wanted him to know who is daddy was," she answered, "I'm sure he'd recognize you from the photos I've shown him."

"Who'd you put on the Birth Certificate?"

"Just your initials, didn't want anyone to come to any conclusion that you and C.K.'s father were the same person."

"Child Services will take C.K. away until I can prove to the courts that I'm his biological father," he said, watching as Vanessa suddenly winced in pain.

"I have a safety deposit box at my bank, everything you need to convince the proper authorities is there...promise me...you'll...protect...our...son," she said trailing off, her hand falling lifelessly to the ground.

"Goodbye...Vanessa," he said with a sob.

* * *

><p>Location: Hunter Estate, Wales<p>

Early morning, present day...

* * *

><p>Jona bolted upright in bed, startled by the nightmare he was still being haunted by his ex-girlfriend's untimely death over a month and a half later. He held his face in his hands for a moment before glancing over to Pussy, finding that she would still lying asleep next to him. He had told her that he understood if she wanted to them to go their separate ways seeing as he now had a toddler to look after, but she had chosen to remain by his side. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to get back to bed he shoved the covers from off his naked body and proceeded to get dressed, pulling on his briefs along with a pair of grey sweat pants, and a white t-shirt. He opened the drawer of his nightstand and removed an envelope from within along with his cell phone before heading out into the hallway as he made his way downstairs. The house was quiet, not only because most of the occupants were asleep but because his parents were vacationing in Spain. He entered the kitchen and switched on the light above the stove, immediately going about preparing a cup of green tea from the Keurig brewer. It took less then a minute for the water to reach the correct temperature as the caffeinated liquid poured itself into his mug. He removed his drink from the brewer and headed into the living room, placing the mug on the table along with his phone and the envelope. He slipped into the armchair and switched on the television and switched the channel to the local BBC channel, wanting some background noise as stared at the seal of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that was printed in the corner of the envelope. He curious as to why the Foreign Office would be sending him a letter, but he'd never know if he didn't open it and read it. He tore the side of the envelope and removed a folded sheet of paper and began skimming through the contents.<p>

_TO: JONATHAN HUNTER (MI6/00 SECTION-DISMISSED)_

_FROM: FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE _

_SUBJECT: OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT GROUP _

_THIS LETTER IS BEING SENT AT THE SUGGESTION OF CHARLES ROBINSON (FCO-MI6 LIAISON OFFICER) TO INFORM YOU OF THE FORMATION OF THE OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT GROUP. THE OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT GROUP IS AN ORGANIZATION FOUNDED BY THE FOREIGN OFFICE TO ENCOURAGE GREATER COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ITS COMMONWEALTH MEMBER STATES. AGENTS SELECTED FROM THE SECURITY SERVICE (MI5) AND SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (MI6) WILL PROVIDE LOGISTICAL SUPPORT FOR ALL INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVES OF HER MAJESTY'S OVERSEAS REALMS OPERATING WITHIN COMMONWEALTH TERRITORY. ALL INQUIRES MAY BE DIRECTED TO CHARLES ROBINSON FOR MORE INFORMATION. WE EAGERLY AWAIT YOUR DECISION._

_SINCERELY; PERMANENT UNDER-SECRETARY SIMON FRASER_

Jona reached for his mug and downed half of it in nearly a single gulp, the liquid burning its way down his throat as he digested the contents of the latter. He hadn't really contemplated much on his future now that he was back in the UK; he had just wanted to get settled before he considered what he should do. His parents had always been on his case for choosing to be non-committed to the Anglican Church, but now they were complaining about how he had engaged in pre-marital sex and fathering a child out of wedlock, all while pushing to have C.K. inducted into the Anglican Church, but he was resisting their efforts to interfere. It wasn't that he had anything against religion; he just disliked the idea of his son having it shoveled down his throat, like his parents had done to him. He wouldn't deny him if at some point C.K. became interested in learning out his religious background, but he wouldn't force it upon him either. His parents' constant interference was causing him to seriously considering packing up and heading for his family's vacation home located in Lugano in southern Switzerland, but he worried that the constant moving around was having a negative impacting C.K. He needed some stability in his life, but that had been an elusive beast since his mother had died. He had enough dirty morning accumulated from his employment with SPECTRE that they could live off it comfortably for the next several years, but it wouldn't last forever and he would need to seek out employment. They needed to put down roots somewhere, but he didn't know if working for this brand new organization was really in their best interest.

"Papa?" a voice asked.

Jona immediately turned around in his seat and discovered a small boy with messy brown hair standing nearby, rubbing the sleep from his vivid blue eyes. He was wore a powder blue pajama top with sleeves that were a bit too long for him, and a disposable diaper. He had obviously discarded his pajama bottoms at some point during the night, but there was little point in chastising his about it since he was already up and morning had already arrived.

"Hey buddy, I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked the boy.

The boy said not a word; instead he walked over to his father and settled into his arms,

"What's dat?" C.K. asked, noticing the letter lying on the table.

"Just a letter," he replied, "Offering me a job."

"We movin' again?" he asked.

"I donno," he admitted, "I haven't even made a decision yet."

"Oh...," he murmured.

"C'mon, let's get your diaper changed and I'll make you breakfast."

Jona picked up his son was about to carrying him back upstairs when his cell phone suddenly began to vibrate on the surface of island. Curious about who could possibly be calling him so early in the morning he reached over and picked it up, studying the call display. He immediately recognized the number that was being displayed as belonging to MI6's headquarters and quickly answered the call.

"Mrs. Mawdsley," he said.

"Not a lot of people know that," M said.

"Except Bond," Jona said.

"And fewer could get away with calling me that."

"Except me and certain individuals in your private life...," he added, trailing off.

"I was worried you might not answer."

"I was already up," he replied, "...I guessing this isn't a social call?"

"Bond and the Swiss Military launched a commando raid against Blofeld's headquarters at Piz Gloria," she explained.

"What's his status?"

"Blofeld died in the assault, but he's sent an assassin after you."

"Big whoop, what else is new," he commented.

"He's dispatched Eva Adara to finish you off," M reported, causing fear suddenly began to worm its way inside of Jona.

"Too late, she's already here," he murmured, setting down the phone.

He could hear M's frantic calls from him to answer her, but he ignored it as he walked over to the staircase with C.K. in his arms. He opened the door that led to the cupboard and set the boy down of the hardwood floor, shoving him inside much to his son's disapproval.

"No Papa! It dark n' scary," C.K. whined, trying to escape from his father's attempt to lock him inside.

"I need you to listen to me, Colin," he said.

Stating the boy's actual name was all that was need to get him to cease squirming about as he knew that the situation was serious.

"I need you to stay in here," he said, "no matter what you hear you must promise me that you won't come out until either I or Kat come to get you. Do you understand?"

"Papa it dark," he complained.

Jona looked over to the table that sat nearby and grabbed a flashlight that lay underneath it, thrusting it into his son's small hands.

"Remember what I said."

C.K. nodded, switching on the flashlight as his father eased the door closed, knowing that his son would be safe while he confronted Eva. He headed up the stairs and made his way to his bedroom where he found his nemesis sitting on his bed, a gun pressed against Pussy's temple, having broken into the house through the balcony doors.

"Ah, there you are," she sneered.

"You've made a mistake coming here, Eva," he growled.

"Your death is all that matters to me now," she said.

"You'll never leave this house alive," Jona warned, "the second you step out the front doors you'll go down in a hail of bullets."

"Do you honestly believe that there's some knight in shining armour will show up to rescue you?" Eva questioned.

"Yes," Pussy said.

"Shut it, whore," Eva snapped.

"It's true, M would've planned for this," he stated.

"Then your knight better hurry up," she said, pointing her pistol at him, "cause your little bastard is about to become an orphan for a second time."

Panic briefly ripped through him upon realizing that she knew about C.K. before it was suddenly replaced by uncontrollable rage. Jona switched the Golden Eye to its Magnetic Induction Field and hurled her into the wall, leaping over the bed to engage her. He grabbed her face, smashing the back of her head against the wall before dragging her out onto the balcony, intent on throwing her over the side. Eva grabbed a handful of his shirt as he shoved her against the railing, sending them both tumbling over. Jona hit the ground below in a heap, but Eva was already scrambling to her feet as he swung his leg around, knocking her off her feet. He immediately noticed the pistol that she was trying to reach for and quickly kicked it out of her reach as he hit her across the face with a right hook. He swung his left leg, catching her in the face, and attempted to follow up with his right when Eva grabbed a hold, twisting it, and knocked him off his feet. He rolled away when she leaped to her feet and tried to drive her elbow into his torso, quickly grabbing by the hair and threw an arm across her throat, choking her. She fumbled for something to use as a weapon and grabbed a hold of a rock and smashed him in the face with it. He released his choke hold and fell backwards as Eva climbed back to her feet and grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling him into a kneeling position as she delivered a kick to his face. Jona fell backwards again and tried to roll away, but Eva planted her foot into his ribs. He stumbled to his feet and the Ex-head of the OCTOPUS Group charged forward, letting out a scream as she drove her fist into his stomach. The air rushed from his lungs as he tried to maintain his balance and lunged at her, lifting her of her feet and slammed her into the ground. They wrestled on the ground until Eva managed to get on top of him, punching him in the face as Jona hooked his leg around his waist and threw her off of him. She scrambled to her feet first and put her prey in a chokehold, but lost her hold when he drove his elbow into her ribs. Holding onto her arm he twisted his body around and fell forward, pulling her down with him. Eva rolled backwards, pulling a knife from her boot and took a swing, a cry of surprise escaped from Jona's lips as he felt the blade slice across his right cheek. He stumbled backwards, gently touching the wound with his fingers as he stared at the glistening blood. Eva stabbed at him with the blade and Jona grabbed her by the arm, twisting his body around to avoid having the weapon plunged into his body, but a scream escaped his mouth when he felt it slice across his back. He stumbled forward as chased after him, planting both feet into his back and sent him colliding with the ground. Eva quickly leapt to her feet and jumped at him, screaming as she attempted to plunge the knife into the back of his head. Jona quickly rolled over and caught her arms, preventing the blade descending any further, but it was already hovering above his cybernetic eye and he could feel it brushing against his eye lashes. He began rolling his body, puller her with him, twisting the blade until he had managed to roll on top of her. He slipped the blade from her grasp and rolled away and leapt to his feet, holding the knife in an underhand position, flipping it around in his fingers until he was holding by the blade itself. He hurled the knife at her feet, distracting her long enough for him to rush her, diving his fist into her stomach. He rotated his body and smashed his elbow into the side of her head, following up with a series of punches. Eva grabbed him by the shoulder and drove her knee into his back and backhanded him across the side of the head and attempted to punch him in the face. Jona dodged the blow and leapt up, kicking her in the head. Both fell to the ground, but it was Eva who had managed it get to her feet first and spotted her fallen gun and rushed to retrieve it. She snatched the gun up in her hand and whirled around to face him as Jona lunched at her, driving his arm into her and slamming her to the ground. Eva scrambled back to her feet and turned to face him as he dropkicked her in the chest, corkscrewing his body as he landed. She rolled and climbed back up as Jona attempted to kick her in the chest, but caught his leg and shoved him backwards and punched him in the stomach and then across the face. Eva wrapped her arms around her throat and began chocking him, causing Jona to throw his head back, catching her in the face and followed up with a punch. He performed a cartwheel and caught her in the face, but didn't remain on the ground for long as Jona lunged at her, performing a leaping up, followed by a series of punches before finishing her off with a roundhouse kick right beneath her jaw. Eva fell backwards, lying prone against a bush as Jona struggled to catch his breath before beginning his search for the gun. He turned around for just a second when he suddenly heard the sound of a safety being switched off and turned to see the gun in Eva's hands.

"You lose, you piece of shit," she snarled.

A gunshot rang out, but not from the pistol, instead a crimson blossom appeared on Eva's chest as surprise and dismay appeared on her face. Jona quickly rushed forward, toggling the Magnetic Polarity Shield and seized her by the head and activated it. The energy stored within the Golden Eye was discharged directly into her head, killing her instantly. He heard footsteps coming from behind him and whirled around to see a young woman with long brunette locks and dressed in a pair of red pants and a red top, with a high-powered rifle in her hands.

"I'm Scarlett Papava of the 00 section," she introduced.

"My guardian angel," he said with a snort, snatching up the pistol from the ground, "guess I should feel flattered that M dispatched a Double-0 to keep an eye on me."

"It would seem that her intuition wasn't wrong," she stated.

"No...no it wasn't," he replied, heading back towards the estate, "coulda used you earlier."

"Had to get into position," she explained, "cleanup crew's on its way."

"Good. My parents would have a fit if they were to find a dead body on their property...that is if they weren't in Spain right now."

He stopped in front of the estate's backdoor and realized that he was locked out, until he smashed the glass with the butt of the weapon and stepped inside, careful not to step on the broken glass. He headed over to the cupboard beneath the stairs and knocked on the door before muttering the safety phrase.

"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau," he said.

The door was pushed open and C.K. ran out, throwing his arms around his legs and burying his face against his thigh. He saw that Pussy was also huddled within the cupboard as well, and had aimed with one of his SPEC-9s.

"Works better if it's loaded," he remarked.

"Oh...well it goes to show you how many times I've used a gun," she replied, climbing out.

While the conversation was going on Scarlett removed her smart phone from her pocket and dialed the number for Q Branch, immediately finding herself connected to the Chief of Staff.

"Hostile neutralized and package has been secured," she reported.

"Good work, 004. I'm inform M of your success," he replied.

Jona reached over and snatched the phone from her grasp and lifted it to his ear.

"It's me. Give a message to Robinson; tell him that I'm in, but I get to choose where I get deployed," he stated.

"I'll let him know," Tanner replied.

"Wait! What are you talking about?" Pussy asked.

"I received a job offer from the Foreign Office," he explained, "They want me to join a logistical group that'll provide support for agents operating within the Commonwealth."

"And you're just telling me this now?"

"I only just read the letter," he replied.

"Tell me we're not going somewhere cold."

"Naw...I was thinking somewhere warmer."


End file.
